QUIET  TALKS  ON  POWER 


S.  D.  Gordon's  "Quiet 
Talks"  on  the  Elements 
of  the  Christian  Life 

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gEGINNING  with  his  remarkable 
work  on  "Power"  supplement- 
ing it  with  one  on  "  Prayer"  and 
later  with  a  third  on  "  Service," 
Mr.  Gordon  has  rounded  out  his 
"Quiet  Talks"  on  the  Elements  of 
the  Christian  Life.  Uniformly 
bound,  this  set  will  be  welcome  to 
the  Christian's  library  whether  as  a 
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FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 
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QUIET   TALKS 
ON    P 0 W  ER 


BY 

S.  D.    GORDON 


NEW   AND   REVISED   EDITION 


CHICAGO       NEW  YORK        TORONTO 

FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 

LONDON  AND  EDINBURGH 


COPYRIGHT,  1903,  BY 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


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CONTENTS 


CHOKED  CHANNELS  .....        9 

THE  OLIVET  MESSAGE  ....  33 

THE  CHANNEL  OF  POWER  -          •          •  61 

THE  PRICE  OF  POWER  ....  87 

THE  PERSONALITY  OF  POWER      -          -  117 

MAKING  AND  BREAKING  CONNECTIONS         «  147 

THE  FLOOD-TIDE  OF  POWER        -          -  -173 

FRESH  SUPPLIES  OF  POWER    ...  199 


2073168 


CHOKED   CHANNELS. 


CHOKED    CHANNELS. 


An  Odd  Distinction. 

A  few  years  ago  I  was  making  a  brief  tour  among 
the  colleges  of  Missouri.  I  remember  one  morning 
in  a  certain  college  village  going  over  from  the  hotel 
to  take  breakfast  with  some  of  the  boys,  and  coming 
back  with  one  of  the  fellows  whom  I  had  just  met. 
As  we  walked  along,  chatting  away,  I  asked  him 
quietly,  "Are  you  a  Christian,  sir?"  He  turned 
quickly  and  looked  at  me  with  an  odd,  surprised  ex- 
pression in  his  eye  and  then  turning  his  face  away 
said:  "Well,  I'm  a  member  of  church,  but — I  don't 
believe  I'm  very  much  of  a  Christian."  Then  I 
looked  at  him  and  he  frankly  volunteered  a  little 
information.  Not  very  much.  He  did  not  need  to 
say  much.  You  can  see  a  large  field  through  a 
chink  in  the  fence.  And  I  saw  enough  to  let  me 
know  that  he  was  right  in  the  criticism  he  had  made 
upon  himself.  We  talked  a  bit  and  parted.  But 
his  remark  set  me  to  thinking. 

A  week  later,  in  another  town,  speaking  one 
morning  to  the  students  of  a  young  ladies'  seminary, 
I  said  afterwards  to  one  of  the  teachers  as  we  were 
talking:  "I  suppose  your  young  women  here  are  all 
Christians."  That  same  quizzical  look  came  into 
9 


io  Choked  Channels. 

her  eye  as  she  said:  "I  think  they  are  all  members 
of  church,  but  I  do  not  think  they  are  all  Christians 
with  real  power  in  their  lives."  There  was  that 
same  odd  distinction. 

A  few  weeks  later,  in  Kansas  City  visiting  the 
medical  and  dental  schools,  I  recall  distinctly  stand- 
ing one  morning  in  a  disordered  room — shavings  on 
the  floor,  desks  disarranged — the  institution  just 
moving  into  new  quarters,  and  not  yet  settled.  I 
was  discussing  with  a  member  of  the  faculty,  the 
dean  I  think,  about  how  many  the  room  would  hold, 
how  soon  it  would  be  ready,  and  so  on — just  a  busi- 
ness talk,  nothing  more — when  he  turned  to  me 
rather  abruptly,  looking  me  full  in  the  face,  and 
said  with  quiet  deliberation:  "I'm  a  member  of 
church;  I  think  I  am  a  deacon  in  our  church" — 
running  his  hand  through  his  hair  meditatively,  as 
though  to  refresh  his  memory — "but  I  am  not  very 
much  of  a  Christian,  sir."  The  smile  that  started 
to  come  to  my  face  at  the  odd  frankness  of  his 
remark  was  completely  chased  away  by  the  distinct 
touch  of  pathos  in  both  face  and  voice  that  seemed 
to  speak  of  a  hungry,  unsatisfied  heart  within. 

Perhaps  it  was  a  month  or  so  later,  in  one  of  the 
mining  towns  down  in  the  zinc  belt  of  southwestern 
Missouri,  I  was  to  speak  to  a  meeting  of  men. 
There  were  probably  five  or  six  hundred  gathered  in 
a  Methodist  Church.  They  were  strangers  to  me. 
I  was  in  doubt  what  best  to  say  to  them.  One  dis- 
likes to  fire  ammunition  at  people  that  are  absent. 


Choked  Channels.  n 

So  stepping  down  to  a  front  pew  where  several 
ministers  were  seated,  I  asked  one  of  them  to  run 
his  eye  over  the  house  and  tell  me  what  sort  of  a 
congregation  it  was,  so  far  as  he  knew  them.  He 
did  so,  and  presently  replied:  "I  think  fully  two- 
thirds  of  these  men  are  members  of  our  churches" 
— and  then,  with  that  same  quizzical,  half-laughing 
look,  he  added,  "but  you  know,  sir,  as  well  as  I  do, 
that  not  half  of  them  are  Christians  worth  counting." 
"Well,"  I  said  to  myself,  astonished,  "this  is  a 
mining  camp;  this  certainly  is  not  anything  like  the 
condition  of  affairs  in  the  country  generally." 

But  that  series  of  incidents,  coming  one  after  the 
other  in  such  rapid  succession,  set  me  thinking  in- 
tently about  that  strange  distinction  between  being 
members  of  a  church  on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the 
other,  living  lives  that  count  and  tell  and  weigh  for 
Jesus  seven  days  in  the  week.  I  knew  that  minis- 
ters had  been  recognizing  such  a  distinction,  but  to 
find  it  so  freely  acknowledged  by  folks  in  the  pew 
was  new,  and  surely  significant. 

And  so  I  thought  I  would  just  ask  the  friends 
here  to-day  very  frankly,  "What  kind  of  Christians 
are  you?"  I  do  not  say  what  kind  you  are,  for  I 
am  a  stranger,  and  do  not  know,  and  would  only 
think  the  best  things  of  you.  But  I  ask  you  frankly, 
honestly  now,  as  I  ask  myself  anew,  what  kind  are 
you?  Do  you  know?  Because  it  makes  such  a 
difference.  The  Master's  plan — and  what  a  genius 
of  a  plan  it  is — is  this,  that  the  world  should  be 


12  Choked  Channels. 

won,  not  by  the  preachers — though  we  must  have 
these  men  of  God  for  teaching  and  leadership — but 
by  everyone  who  knows  the  story  of  Jesus  telling 
someone,  and  telling  not  only  with  his  lips  earnestly 
and  tactfully,  but  even  more,  telling  with  his  life. 
That  is  the  Master's  plan  of  campaign  for  this  world. 
And  it  makes  a  great  difference  to  Him  and  to  the 
world  outside  whether  you  and  I  are  living  the  story 
of  His  love  and  power  among  men  or  not. 

Do  you  know  what  kind  of  a  Christian  you  are? 
There  are  at  least  three  others  that  do.  First  of  all 
there  is  Satan.  He  knows.  Many  of  our  church 
officers  are  skilled  in  gathering  and  compiling  statis- 
tics, but  they  cannot  hold  a  tallow-dip  to  Satan  in 
this  matter  of  exact  information.  He  is  the  ablest 
of  all  statisticians,  second  only  to  one  other.  He 
keeps  careful  record  of  every  one  of  us,  and  knows 
just  how  far  we  are  interfering  with  his  plans.  He 
knows  that  some  of  us — good,  respectable  people, 
as  common  reckoning  goes — neither  help  God  nor 
hinder  Satan.  Does  that  sound  rather  hard?  But 
is  it  not  true?  He  has  no  objection  to  such  people 
being  counted  in  as  Christians.  Indeed,  he  rather 
prefers  to  have  it  so.  Their  presence  inside  the 
church  circle  helps  him  mightily.  He  knows  what 
kind  of  a  Christian  you  are.  Do  you  know? 

Then  there  is  the  great  outer  circle  of  non-chris- 
tian  people — they  know.  Many  of  them  are  poorly 
informed  regarding  the  Christian  life;  hungry  for 
something  they  have  not,  and  know  not  just  what  it 


Choked  Channels.  13 

is;  with  high  ideals,  though  vague,  of  what  a  Chris- 
tian life  should  be.  And  they  look  eagerly  to  us 
for  what  they  have  thought  we  had,  and  are  so  often 
keenly  disappointed  that  our  ideals,  our  life,  is  so 
much  like  others  who  profess  nothing.  And  when 
here  and  there  they  meet  one  whose  acts  are  domi- 
nated by  a  pure,  high  spirit,  whose  faces  reflect  a 
sweet  radiance  amid  all  circumstances,  and  whose 
lives  send  out  a  rare  fragrance  of  gladness  and  kind- 
liness and  controlling  peace,  they  are  quick  to  recog- 
nize that,  to  them,  intangible  something  that  makes 
such  people  different.  The  world — tired,  hungry, 
keen  and  critical  for  mere  sham,  appreciative  of  the 
real  thing — the  world  knows  what  kind  of  Christians 
we  are.  Do  we  know? 

There  is  a  third  one  watching  us  to-day  with  in- 
tense interest.  The  Lord  Jesus!  Sitting  up  yon- 
der in  glory,  with  the  scar-marks  of  earth  on  face 
and  form,  looking  eagerly  down  upon  us  who  stand 
for  Him  in  the  world  that  crucified  Him — He  knows. 
I  imagine  Him  saying,  "There  is  that  one  down 
there  whom  I  died  for,  who  bears  my  name ;  if  T 
had  the  control  of  that  life  what  power  I  would 
gladly  breathe  in  and  out  of  it,  but — he  is  so  absorbed 
in  other  things."  The  Master  is  thinking  about  you, 
studying  your  life,  longing  to  carry  out  His  plan  if 
He  could  only  get  permission,  and  sorely  disap- 
pointed in  many  of  us.  He  knows.  Do  you  know? 


14  Choked  Channels. 

The  Night  Visitor. 

After  that  trip  I  became  much  interested  in  dis- 
covering in  John's  Gospel  some  striking  pictorial 
illustrations  of  these  two  kinds  of  Christians,  namely, 
those  who  have  power  in  their  lives  for  Jesus  Christ 
and  those  who  have  not.  Let  me  speak  of  only  a 
few  of  these.  The  first  is  sketched  briefly  in  the 
third"  chapter,  with  added  touches  in  the  seventh  and 
nineteenth  chapters.  There  is  a  little  descriptive 
phrase  used  each  time — "the  man  who  came  to 
Jesus  by  night."  That  comes  to  be  in  John's  mind 
the  most  graphic  and  sure  way  of  identifying  this 
man.  A  good  deal  of  criticism,  chiefly  among  the 
upper  classes,  had  already  been  aroused  by  Jesus' 
acts  and  words.  This  man  Nicodemus  clearly  was 
deeply  impressed  by  the  young  preacher  from  up  in 
Galilee.  He  wants  to  find  out  more  of  him.  But 
he  shrank  back  from  exposing  himself  to  criticism 
by  these  influential  people  for  his  possible  friendship 
with  the  young  radical,  as  Jesus  was  regarded.  So 
one  day  he  waits  until  the  friendly  shadows  will  con- 
ceal his  identity,  and  slipping  quietly  along  the 
streets,  close  up  to  the  houses  so  as  to  insure  his 
purpose  of  not  being  recognized,  he  goes  up  yonder 
side  street  where  Jesus  has  lodgings.  He  knocks 
timidly.  "Does  the  preacher  from  up  the  north 
way  stop  here?"  "Yes."  "Could  I  see  him?" 
He  steps  in  and  spends  an  evening  in  earnest  conver- 
sation. I  think  we  will  all  readily  agree  that  Nico- 


Choked  Channel.  15 

demus  believed  Jesus  after  that  night's  interview, 
however  he  may  have  failed  to  understand  all  He 
said.  Yes,  we  can  say  much  more — he  loved  Him. 
For  after  the  cruel  crucifixion  it  is  this  man  that 
brings  a  box  of  very  precious  spices,  weighing  as 
much  as  a  hundred  pounds,  worth,  without  question, 
a  large  sum  of  money,  with  which  to  embalm  the 
dead  body  of  his  friend.  Ah!  he  loved  Him.  No 
one  may  question  that. 

But  turn  now  to  the  seventh  chapter  of  John. 
There  is  being  held  a  special  session  of  the  Jewish 
Senate  in  Jerusalem  for  the  express  purpose  of 
determining  how  to  silence  Jesus — to  get  rid  of 
Him.  This  man  is  a  member  of  that  body,  and  is 
present.  Yonder  he  sits  with  the  others,  listening 
while  his  friend  Jesus  is  being  discussed  and  His 
removal — by  force  if  need  be — is  being  plotted. 
What  does  he  do?  What  would  you  expect  of  a 
friend  of  Jesus  under  such  circumstances?  I  won- 
der what  you  and  I  would  have  done?  I  wonder 
what  we  do  do?  Does  he  say  modestly,  but  plainly, 
"I  spent  a  whole  evening  with  this  man,  questioning 
Him,  talking  with  Him,  listening  to  Him.  I  feel 
quite  sure  that  He  is  our  promised  Messiah;  and  I 
have  decided  to  accept  Him  as  such."  Did  he  say 
that?  That  would  have  been  the  simple  truth.  But 
such  a  remark  plainly  would  have  aroused  a  storm 
of  criticism,  and  he  dreaded  that.  Yet  he  felt  that 
something  should  be  said.  So,  lawyer-like,  he  puts 
the  case  abstractly.  "Hmm — does  our  law  judge 


1 6  Choked  Channels. 

a  man  without  giving  him  a  fair  hearing?"  That 
sounds  fair,  though  it  does  seem  rather  feeble  in 
face  of  their  determined  opposition.  But  near  by 
sits  a  burly  Pharisee,  who  turns  sharply  around  and, 
glaring  savagely  at  Nicodemus,  says  sneeringly: 
"Who  are  you?  Do  you  come  from  Galilee,  too? 
Look  and  seel  No  prophet  comes  out  of  Galilee" 
— with  intensest  contempt  in  the  tone  with  which  he 
pionounces  the  word  Galilee.  And  poor  Nicodemus 
seems  to  shrink  back  into  half  his  former  size,  and 
has  not  another  word  to  say,  though  all  the  facts, 
easily  ascertainable,  were  upon  his  side  of  the  case. 
He  loved  Jesus  without  doubt,  but  he  had  no  power 
for  Him  among  men  because  of  his  timidity.  Shall  I 
use  a  plainer,  though  uglier,  word — his  cowardice? 
That  is  not  a  pleasant  word  to  apply  to  a  man.  But 
is  it  not  the  true  word  here?  He  was  so  afraid  of 
what  they  would  think  and  say!  Is  that  the  sort  of 
Christian  you  are?  Believing  Jesus,  trusting  Him, 
saved  by  Him,  loving  Him,  but  shrinking  back  from 
speaking  out  for  Him,  tactfully,  plainly,  when  op- 
portunity presents  or  can  be  made.  A  Christian, 
but  without  positive  power  for  Him  among  men 
because  of  cowardice! 

I  can  scarcely  imagine  Nicodemus  walking  down 
the  street  in  Jerusalem,  arm  in  arm  with  another 
Pharisee-member  of  the  Sanhedrin  and  saying  to 
him  quietly,  but  earnestly:  "Have  you  had  a  talk 
with  this  young  man  Jesus?"  "No,  indeed,  I  have 
not!"  "Well,  do  you  know,  I  spent  an  evening 


Choked  Channels.  17 

with  Him  down  at  His  stopping  place,  and  had  a 
long,  careful  talk  with  Him.  I  am  quite  satisfied 
that  He  is  our  long-looked-for  leader;  I  have  decided 
to  give  Him  my  personal  allegiance;  won't  you  get 
personally  acquainted  with  Him?  He  is  a  wonder- 
ful man."  I  say  I  have  difficulty  in  thinking  that 
this  man  worked  for  Jesus  like  that.  And  yet  what 
more  natural  and  proper,  both  for  him  and  for  us? 
And  what  a  difference  it  might  have  made  in  many 
a  man's  life.  Powerless  for  Jesus  because  of  timid- 
ity! Is  that  the  kind  you  are?  Possibly  some  one 
thinks  that  rather  hard  on  this  man.  Maybe  you 
are  thinking  of  that  other  member  of  the  Sanhedrin 
— Joseph  of  Arimathea — who  was  also  a  follower  of 
Jesus,  and  that  quite  possibly  he  may  have  been 
influenced  by  Nicodemus.  Let  us  suppose,  for 
Nicodemus'  sake,  that  this  is  so,  and  then  mark 
the  brief  record  of  this  man  Joseph  in  John's 
account:  "A  disciple  secretly  for  fear  of  the  Jews." 
If  we  may  fairly  presume  that  it  was  Nicodemus' 
influence  that  led  his  friend  Joseph  to  follow  Jesus, 
yet  he  had  led  him  no  nearer  than  he  himself  had 
gone !  He  could  lead  him  no  higher  or  nearer  than  that. 
John  in  his  gospel  makes  plain  the  fact  that 
Jesus  suffered  much  from  these  secret,  timid,  cow- 
ardly disciples  whose  fear  of  men  gripped  them  as 
in  a  vise.  Five  times  he  makes  special  mention  of 
these  people  who  believed  Jesus,  but  cravenly  feared 
to  line  up  with  Him.1  He  even  says  that  many  of 

1  John  3:1.  7:$<x  1242  with  922.  19:38,  39. 


1 8  Choked  Channels. 

the  rulers — the  very  class  that  plotted  and  voted  His 
death — believed  Jesus,  but  that  fear  of  the  others 
shut  their  lips  and  drove  them  into  the  shadow  when 
they  could  have  helped  Him  most.  These  people 
seem  to  have  left  numerous  descendants,  many  of 
whom  continue  with  us  unto  this  day. 

Tightly  Tied  Up. 

Turn  now  to  the  eleventh  chapter  and  you  win 
find  another  pictorial  suggestion  of  this  same  sort  of 
powerless  Christian,  though  in  this  instance  made  so 
by  another  reason.  It  is  the  Bethany  Chapter,  the 
Lazarus  Chapter.  The  scene  is  just  out  of  Bethany 
village.  There  is  a  man  lying  dead  in  the  cave 
yonder.  Here  stands  Jesus.  There  are  the  dis- 
ciples, and  Martha,  and  Mary,  and  the  villagers,  and 
a  crowd  from  Jerusalem.  The  Master  is  speaking. 
His  voice  rings  out  clear  and  commanding — "Laza- 
rus, come  forth" — speaking  to  a  dead  man.  And 
the  simple  record  runs,  "He  that  was  dead" — life 
comes  between  those  two  lines  of  the  record — 
"came  forth,  bound  hand  and  foot  with  grave- 
clothes,  and  his  face  was  bound  about  with  a  nap- 
kin." Will  you  please  take  a  look  at  Lazarus  as 
he  steps  from  the  tomb?  Do  you  think  his  eyes  are 
dull,  or  his  cheeks  hollow  and  pale?  I  think  not! 
When  Jesus,  the  Lord  of  life,  gives  life,  either 
physical  or  spiritual,  He  gives  abundant  life.  That 
face  may  have  been  a  bit  spare.  There  had  been  no 


Choked  Channels.  19 

food  for  at  least  four  days  and  likely  longer.  But 
there  is  the  flash  of  health  in  his  eye  and  the  ruddy 
hue  of  good  blood  in  his  cheek.  He  has  life.  But 
look  closer.  He  is  bound  hand  and  foot  and  face. 
He  can  neither  walk  nor  work  nor  speak. 

I  have  met  some  Christian  people  who  reminded 
me  forcibly  of  that  scene.  They  are  Christians. 
The  Master  has  spoken  life,  and  they  have  responded 
to  His  word.  But  they  are  so  tied  up  with  the 
grave-clothes  of  the  old  life  that  there  can  be  none 
of  the  power  of  free  action  in  life  or  service.  May 
I  ask  you  very  kindly,  but  very  plainly,  are  you  like 
that?  Is  that  the  reason  you  have  so  little  power 
with  God,  and  for  God?  Perhaps  some  one  would 
say,  "Just  what  do  you  mean?"  I  mean  this:  that 
there  may  be  some  personal  habit  of  yours,  or  per- 
haps some  society  custom  which  you  practice,  or  it 
may  be  some  business  method,  or  possibly  an  old 
friendship  which  you  have  carried  over  into  the  new 
life  from  the  old  that  is  seriously  hindering  your 
Christian  life.  It  may  be  something  that  goes  into 
your  mouth  or  comes  out  of  it  that  prevents  those 
lips  speaking  for  the  Master.  Perhaps  it  is  some 
organization  you  belong  to.  If  there  is  lack  of  free- 
dom and  power  for  Christ  you  may  be  sure  there  is 
something  that  is  blighting  your  life  and  dwarfing 
your  usefulness.  It  may  possibly  be  that  practically 
in  your  daily  life  you  are  exerting  no  more  power 
for  God  than  a  dead  man!  A  Christian,  indeed, 
but  willwul  power  because  of  compromise  with  some- 


20  Choked  Channels. 

thing  questionable  or  outrightly  wrong!  Is  that  so 
with  you?  I  do  not  say  it  is,  for  I  do  not  know. 
But  you  know.  The  hungry,  critical  world  knows. 
Subtle,  keen  Satan  knows.  The  Lord  Jesus  knows. 
Do  you  know  if  that  describes  you?  You  may 
know  with  certainty  within  twenty-four  hours  if 
you  wish  to  and  will  to.  May  we  be  willing  to 
have  the  Spirit's  searchlight  turned  in  upon  us  to- 
night. 

The  Master's  Ideal. 

There  is  another  kind  of  Christian,  an  utterly 
different  kind,  spoken  of  and  illustrated  in  this  same 
Gospel  of  John,  and  I  doubt  not  many  of  them  also 
are  here.  It  is  Jesus'  ideal  of  what  a  Christian 
should  be.  Have  you  sometimes  wished  you  could 
have  a  few  minutes  of  quiet  talk  with  Jesus?  I 
mean  face  to  face,  as  two  of  us  might  sit  and  talk 
together.  You  have  thought  you  would  ask  Him  to 
say  very  simply  and  plainly  just  what  He  expects  of 
you.  Well,  I  believe  He  would  answer  in  words 
something  like  those  of  this  seventh  chapter  of  John. 
It  was  at  the  time  of  Feast  of  Tabernacles.  There 
was  a  vast  multitude  of  Jews  there  from  all  parts  of 
the  world.  It  was  like  an  immense  convention,  but 
larger  than  any  convention  we  know.  The  people 
were  not  entertained  in  the  homes,  but  lived  for 
seven  days  in  leafy  booths  made  of  branches  of  trees. 
It  was  the  last  day  of  the  feast.  There  was  a  large 


Choked  Channels.  21 

concourse  of  people  gathered  in  one  of  the  temple 
areas;  not  women,  but  men;  not  sitting,  but  stand- 
ing. Up  yonder  stand  the  priests,  pouring  water 
out  of  large  jars,  to  symbolize  the  outpouring  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  upon  the  nation  of  Israel.  Just  then 
Jesus  speaks,  and  amid  the  silence  of  the  intently 
watching  throng  His  voice  rings  out:  "If  any  man 
thirst  let  him  come  unto  Me  and  drink;  he  that 
believeth  on  Me,  as  the  Scripture  saith,  out  of  his 
belly  shall  flow  rivers  of  living  water."  Mark  that 
significant  closing  clause.  That  packs  into  a  sen- 
tence Jesus'  ideal  of  what  a  true  Christian  down  in 
this  world  should  be,  and  may  be.  Every  word  is 
full  of  meaning. 

The  heart  of  the  sentence  is  in  the  last  word — 
"water."  Water  is  an  essential  of  life.  Absence 
of  water  means  suffering  and  sickness,  dearth  and 
death.  Plenty  of  good  water  means  life.  All  the 
history  of  the  world  clusters  about  the  water  courses. 
Study  the  history  of  the  rivers,  the  seashores,  and 
lake  edges,  and  you  know  the  history  of  the  earth. 
Those  men  who  heard  Jesus  speak  would  instinct- 
ively think  of  the  Jordan.  It  was  their  river. 
Travelers  say  that  no  valley  exceeded  in  beauty  and 
fruitfulness  that  valley  of  the  Jordan,  made  so  by 
those  swift  waters.  No  hillside  so  fair  in  their 
green  beauty,  nor  so  wealthy  in  heavy  loads  of  fruit 
as  those  sloping  down  to  the  edge  of  that  stream. 
Now  plainly  Jesus  is  talking  of  something  that  may, 
through  us,  exert  as  decided  an  influence  upon  the 


22  Choked  Channels. 

lives  of  those  we  touch  as  water  has  exerted,  and 
still  exerts,  on  the  history  of  the  earth,  and  as  this 
Jordan  did  in  that  wonderful,  historic  Palestine. 
Mark  the  quantity  of  water — "rivers."  Not  a 
Jordan  merely,  that  would  be  wonderful  enough, 
but  Jordans — a  Jordan,  and  a  Nile,  and  a  Eu- 
phrates, a  Yang  Tse  Kiang,  and  an  Olga  and  a 
Rhine,  a  Seine  and  a  Thames,  and  a  Hudson  and 
an  Ohio — "rivers."  Notice,  too,  the  kind  of  water. 
Like  this  racing,  turbulent,  muddy  Jordan?  No, 
no!  "rivers  of  living  water,"  "water  of  life,  clear 
as  crystal."  You  remember  in  Ezekiel's  vision 
which  we  read  together  that  the  waters  constantly 
increased  in  depth,  and  that  everywhere  they  went 
there  was  healing,  and  abundant  life,  and  prosper- 
ity, and  beauty,  and  food,  and  a  continual  harvest 
the  year  round,  and  all  because  of  the  waters  of  the 
river.  They  were  veritable  waters  of  life. 

Now  mark  that  little,  but  very  significant,  phrase — 
"Outo}"— not  into,  but  "out  of."  All  the  differ- 
ence in  the  lives  of  men  lies  in  the  difference  between 
these  two  expressions.  "Into"  is  the  world's  prepo- 
sition. Every  stream  turns  in;  and  that  means  a 
dead  sea.  Many  a  man's  life  is  simply  the  coast 
line  of  a  dead  sea.  "Out  of"  is  the  Master's  word. 
His  thought  is  of  others.  The  stream  must  flow  in, 
and  must  flow  through,  if  it  is  to  flow  out,  but  it  is 
judged  by  its  direction,  and  Jesus  would  turn  it  out- 
ward. There  must  be  good  connections  upward, 
and  a  clear  channel  inward,  but  the  objective  point 


Choked  Channels.  23 

is  outward  toward  a  parched  earth.  But  before  it 
can  flow  out  it  must  fill  up.  An  onflow  in  this  case 
means  an  overflow.  There  must  be  a  flooding  inside 
before  there  can  be  a  flowing  out.  And  let  the  fact 
be  carefully  marked  that  it  is  only  the  overflow  from 
the  fullness  within  our  own  lives  that  brings  refresh- 
ing to  anyone  else.  A  man  praying  at  a  conference 
in  England  for  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
said:  "O,  Lord,  we  can't  hold  much,  but  we  can 
overflow  lots."  That  is  exactly  the  Master's 
thought.  "Out  of  his  belly  shall  flow  rivers  of 
living  water." 

Do  you  remember  that  phrase  in  the  third  chapter 
of  Joshua — "For  Jordan  overfloweth  all  its  banks 
all  the  time  of  harvest."  When  there  was  a  flood 
in  the  river,  there  was  a  harvest  in  the  land.  Has 
there  been  a  harvest  in  your  life?  A  harvest  of  the 
fruit  of  the  spirit — love,  joy,  peace,  long-suffering; 
a  harvest  of  souls?  "No,"  do  you  say,  "not  much 
of  a  harvest,  I  am  afraid, "  or  it  may  be  your  heart 
says  "none  at  all."  Is  it  hard  to  tell  why?  Has 
there  been  a  flood-tide  in  your  heart,  a  filling  up 
from  above  until  the  blessed  stream  had  to  find  an 
outlet  somewhere,  and  produce  a  harvest?  A  har- 
vest outside  means  a  rising  of  the  tide  inside.  A 
flooding  of  the  heart  always  brings  a  haivest  in  the 
life.  A  few  years  ago  there  were  great  floods  in  the 
southern  states,  and  the  cotton  and  corn  crops 
following  were  unprecedented.  Paul  reminded 
his  Roman  friends  that  when  the  Holy  Spirit  has 


24  Choked  Channels. 

free  swing  in  the  life  "the  love  of  God  floods  our 
hearts."  l 

Please  notice,  too,  the  source  of  the  stream— "out 
of  his  belly."  Will  you  observe  for  a  moment  the 
rhetorical  figure  here?  I  used  to  suppose  it  meant 
"out  of  his  heart."  The  ancients,  you  remember, 
thought  the  heart  lay  down  in  the  abdominal  region. 
But  you  will  find  that  this  book  is  very  exact  in  its 
use  of  words.  The  blood  is  the  life.  The  heart 
pumps  the  blood,  but  the  stomach  makes  it.  The 
seat  of  life  is  not  in  the  heart,  but  in  the  stomach. 
If  you  will  take  down  a  book  of  physiology,  and  find 
the  chart  showing  the  circulation  of  the  blood,  you 
will  see  a  wonderful  network  of  lines  spreading  out 
in  every  direction,  but  all  running,  through  lighter 
lines  into  heavier,  and  still  blacker,  until  every  line 
converges  in  the  great  stomach  artery.  And  every- 
where the  blood  goes  there  is  life.  Now  turn  to  a  book 
of  physical  geography  and  get  a  map  showing  the 
water  system  of  some  great  valley  like  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  you  will  find  a  striking  reproduction  of 
the  other  chart.  And  if  you  will  shut  your  eyes 
and  imagine  the  reality  back  of  that  chart,  you  will 
see  hundreds  of  cool,  clear  springs  flowing  succes- 
sively into  runs,  brooks,  creeks,  larger  streams, 
river  branches,  rivers,  and  finally  into  the  great 
river — the  reservoir  of  all.  And  everywhere  the 
waters  go  there  is  life.  The  only  difference  between 
these  two  streams  of  life  is  in  the  direction.  The 

1  Rom.  5:5. 


Choked  Channels.  25 

blood  flows  from  the  largest  toward  the  smallest; 
the  water  flows  from  the  smallest  toward  the  largest. 
Both  bring  life  with  its  accompaniments  of  beauty 
and  vigor  and  fruitfulness.  There  is  Jesus'  picture 
of  the  Christian  down  in  the  world.  As  the  red 
stream  flows  out  from  the  stomach,  and,  propelled 
by  the  force-pump  of  the  heart,  through  a  marvelous 
network  of  minute  rivers  takes  life  to  every  part  of 
the  body,  so  "he  that  believeth  on  Me" — that  is  the 
vital  connecting  link  with  the  great  origin  of  this 
stream  of  life — out  of  the  very  source  of  life  within 
him  shall  go  a  flood-tide  of  life,  bringing  refreshing, 
and  cleansing,  and  beauty,  and  vigor  everywhere 
within  the  circle  of  his  life,  even  though,  like  the 
red  streams  and  the  water  streams,  he  be  uncon- 
scious of  it. 

An  Unlikely  Channel. 

What  a  marvelous  conception  of  the  power 
of  life!  How  strikingly  it  describes  Jesus'  own 
earthly  life !  But  there  is  something  more  marvelous 
still — He  means  that  ideal  to  become  real  in  you,  my 
friend,  and  in  me.  I  doubt  not  there  are  some  here 
whose  eager  hearts  are  hungry  for  just  such  a  life, 
but  who  are  tremblingly  conscious  of  their  own 
weakness.  Your  thoughts  are  saying:  "I  wish  I 
could  live  such  a  life,  but  certainly  this  is  not  for  me; 
this  man  talking  doesn't  know  me — no  special  talent 
or  opportunity:  such  strong  tides  of  temptation  that 


a6  Choked  Channels. 

sweep  me  clean  off  my  feet— not  for  me."  Ah, 
my  friend,  I  verily  believe  you  are  the  very  one  the 
Master  had  in  mind,  for  He  had  John  put  into  his 
gospel  a  living  illustration  of  this  ideal  of  His  that 
goes  down  to  the  very  edge  of  human  unlikeliness 
and  inability.  He  goes  down  to  the  lowest  so  as  to 
include  all.  What  proved  true  in  this  case  may 
prove  true  with  you,  and  much  more.  The  story  is 
in  the  fourth  chapter.  It  is  a  sort  of  advance  page 
of  the  Book  of  Acts.  A  sample  of  the  power  of 
Pentecost  before  the  day  of  Pentecost.  You  and  I 
live  on  the  flood-side  of  Pentecost.  This  illustration 
belongs  back  where  the  streams  had  only  just  com- 
menced trickling.  It  is  a  miniature.  You  and  I 
may  furnish  the  life-size  if  we  will. 

It  is  the  story  of  a  woman;  not  a  man,  but  a 
woman.  One  of  the  weaker  sex,  so  called.  She 
was  ignorant,  prejudiced,  and  without  social  stand- 
ing. She  was  a  woman  of  no  reputation.  Aye, 
worse  than  that,  of  bad  reputation.  She  probably 
had  less  moral  influence  in  her  town  than  any  one 
here  has  in  his  circle.  Could  a  more  unlikely  per- 
son have  been  used?  But  she  came  in  touch  with 
the  Lord  Jesus.  She  yielded  herself  to  that  touch. 
There  lies  the  secret  of  what  follows.  That  contact 
radically  changed  her.  She  went  back  to  her  village 
and  commenced  speaking  about  Jesus  to  those  she 
knew.  She  could  not  preach;  she  simply  told 
plainly  and  earnestly  what  she  knew  and  believed 
about  Him.  And  the  result  is  startling.  There  are 


Choked  Channels.  27 

hundreds  of  ministers  who  are  earnestly  longing  for 
what  came  so  easily  to  her.  What  modern  people 
call  a  revival  began  at  once.  We  are  told  in  the 
simple  language  of  the  Gospel  record  that  "many 
believed  on  Him  because  of  the  word  of  the  -woman." 
They  had  not  seen  Jesus  yet.  He  was  up  by  the 
well.  They  were  down  in  the  village.  She  was  an 
ignorant  woman,  of  formerly  sinful  life.  But  there 
is  the  record  of  the  wonderful  result  of  her  simple 
witnessing — they  believed  on  Jesus  because  of  the 
word  of  that  woman.  There  is  only  one  way  to 
account  for  such  results.  Only  the  Holy  Spirit 
speaking  through  her  lips  could  have  produced  them. 
She  had  commenced  drinking  of  the  living  water  of 
which  Jesus  had  been  talking  to  her,  and  now  already 
the  rivers  were  flowing  out  to  others. 

What  Jesus  did  with  her,  He  longs  to  do  with 
you,  and  jar  more,  if  you  will  let  Him ;  though  his 
plan  for  using  you  may  be  utterly  different  from  the 
one  He  had  for  her,  and  so  the  particular  results 
different.  Now  let  me  ask  very  frankly  why  have 
we  not  all  such  power  for  our  Master  as  she?  The 
Master's  plan  is  plain.  He  said  "ye  shall  have 
power."  But  so  many  of  us  do  not  have!  Why 
not?  Well,  possibly  some  of  us  are  like  Nicodemus 
— there  is  no  power  because  of  timidity,  cowardice, 
fear  of  what  they  will  think,  or  say.  Possibly  some 
of  us  are  in  the  same  condition  spiritually  that 
Lazarus  was  in  physically.  We  are  tied  up  tight, 
hands  and  feet  and  face.  Some  sin,  some  co»- 


28  Choked  Channels. 

promise,  some  hushing  of  that  inner  voice,  some- 
thing wrong.  Some  little  thing,  you  may  say. 
Humph!  as  though  anything  could  be  little  that  is 
wrong!  Sin  is  never  little! 

A  Clogged  Channel. 

Out  in  Colorado  they  tell  of  a  little  town  nestled 
down  at  the  foot  of  some  hills — a  sleepy-hollow 
village.  You  remember  the  rainfall  is  very  slight 
out  there,  and  they  depend  much  upon  irrigation. 
But  some  enterprising  citizens  ran  a  pipe  up  the  hills 
to  a  lake  of  clear,  sweet  water.  As  a  result  the 
town  enjoyed  a  bountiful  supply  of  water  the  year 
round  without  being  dependent  upon  the  doubtful 
rainfall.  And  the  population  increased  and  the 
place  had  quite  a  western  boom.  One  morning  the 
housewives  turned  the  water  spigots,  but  no  water 
came.  There  was  some  sputtering.  There  is  apt 
to  be  noise  when  there  is  nothing  else.  The  men 
climbed  the  hill.  There  was  the  lake  full  as  ever. 
They  examined  around  the  pipes  as  well  as  possible, 
but  could  find  no  break.  Try  as  they  might,  they 
could  find  no  cause  for  the  stoppage.  And  as  days 
grew  into  weeks,  people  commenced  moving  away 
again,  the  grass  grew  in  the  streets,  and  the  pros- 
perous town  was  going  back  to  its  old  sleepy  condi- 
tion when  one  day  one  of  the  town  officials  received 
a  note.  It  was  poorly  written,  with  bad  spelling 
and  grammar,  but  he  never  cared  less  about  writing 


Choked  Channels.  29 

or  grammar  than  just  then.  It  said  in  effect:  "Ef 
you'll  jes  pull  the  plug  out  of  the  pipe  about  eight 
inches  from  the  top  you'll  get  all  the  water  you 
want."  Up  they  started  for  the  top  of  the  hill,  and 
examining  the  pipe,  found  the  plug  which  some 
vicious  tramp  had  inserted.  Not  a  very  big  plug — 
just  big  enough  to  fill  the  pipe.  It  is  surprising  how 
large  a  reservoir  of  water  can  be  held  back  by  how 
small  a  plug.  Out  came  the  plug;  down  came  the 
water  freely;  by  and  by  back  came  prosperity  again. 

Why  is  there  such  a  lack  of  power  in  our  lives? 
The  reservoir  up  yonder  is  full  to  overflowing,  with 
clear,  sweet,  life-giving  water.  And  here  all  around 
us  the  earth  is  so  dry,  so  thirsty,  cracked  open — 
huge  cracks  like  dumb  mouths  asking  mutely  for 
what  we  should  give.  And  the  connecting  pipes 
between  the  reservoir  above  and  the  parched  plain 
below  are  there.  Why  then  do  not  the  refreshing 
waters  come  rushing  down?  The  answer  is  very 
plain.  You  know  why.  There  is  a  plug  in  the  pipe. 
Something  in  us  clogging  up  the  channel  and  nothing 
can  get  through.  How  shall  we  have  power,  abun- 
dant, life-giving,  sweetening  our  own  lives,  and 
changing  those  we  touch?  The  answer  is  easy  for 
me  to  give — it  will  be  much  harder  for  us  all  to  do — 
pull  out  the  plug.  Get  out  the  thing  that  you  know 
is  hindering. 

I  am  going  to  ask  every  one  who  will,  to  offer 
this  simple  prayer — and  I  am  sure  every  thoughtful, 
earnest  man  and  woman  here  will.  Just  bow  your 


30  Choked  Channels. 

head  and  quietly  under  your  breath  say  to  Him: 
"Lord  Jesus,  show  me  what  there  is  in  my  life  that 
is  displeasing  to  Thee;  what  there  is  Thou  wouldst 
change."  You  may  be  sure  He  will.  He  is  faith- 
ful. He  will  put  His  finger  on  that  tender  spot  very 
surely.  Then  add  a  second  clause  to  that  prayer — 
"By  Thy  grace  helping  me,  7  will  put  it  out  what- 
ever it  may  cost,  or  wherever  it  may  cut."  Shall 
we  bow  our  heads  and  offer  that  prayer,  and  hew 
close  to  that  line,  steadily,  faithfully?  It  will  open 
up  a  life  of  marvelous  blessing  undreamed  of  for 
you  and  everyone  you  touch. 


THE  OLIVET  MESSAGE. 


THE  OLIVET  MESSAGE. 

Searchlight  Sights. 

Coming  into  Cleveland  harbor  one  evening,  just 
after  nightfall,  a  number  of  passengers  were  gath- 
ered on  the  upper  deck  eagerly  watching  the  colored 
breakwater  lights  and  the  city  lights  beyond.  Sud- 
denly a  general  curiosity  was  aroused  by  a  small  boat 
of  some  sort,  on  the  left,  scudding  swiftly  along  in 
the  darkness  like  a  blacker  streak  on  the  black 
waters.  A  few  of  us  who  chanced  to  be  near  the 
captain  on  the  smaller  deck  above,  heard  him  quietly 
say,  "Turn  on  the  searchlight."  Almost  instantly 
an  intense  white  light  shone  full  on  the  stranger- 
boat,  bringing  it  to  view  so  distinctly  that  we  could 
almost  count  the  nail-heads,  and  the  strands  in  her 
cordage. 

If  some  of  us  here  to-night  have  made  the  prayer 
suggested  in  our  last  talk  together — Lord  Jesus, 
show  me  what,  there  is  in  my  life  that  is  displeasing 
to  Thee,  that  Thou  wouldst  change — we  will  appre- 
ciate something  of  the  power  of  that  Lake  Erie 
searchlight.  There  is  a  searchlight  whiter,  intenser, 
more  keenly  piercing  than  any  other.  Into  every 
heart  that  desires,  and  will  hold  steadily  open  to  it, 
the  Lord  Jesus  will  turn  that  searching  light.  Then 
33 


34  The  Olivet  Message. 

you  will  begin  to  see  things  as  they  actually  are. 
And  that  sight  may  well  lead  to  discouragement. 
Many  a  hidden  thing,  which  you  are  glad  enough  to 
have  hidden,  will  be  plainly  seen.  How  is  it  pos- 
sible, you  will  be  ready  to  ask,  for  me  to  lead  the 
life  the  Master's  ambition  has  planned  for  me,  with 
such  mixed  motives,  selfish  ambitions,  sinfulness 
and  weakness  as  I  am  beginning  to  get  a  glimpse 
of — how  is  it  possible? 

There  is  one  answer  to  that  intense  heart-ques- 
tion, and  only  one.  We  must  have  power,  some 
supernatural  power,  something  outside  of  us,  and 
above  us,  and  far  greater  than  we,  to  come  in  and 
win  the  victory  within  us  and  for  us. 

If  that  young  man  whose  inner  life  is  passion- 
swept,  one  tidal  wave  of  fierce  temptation,  hot  on 
the  heels  of  the  last,  until  all  the  moorings  are 
snapped,  and  he  driven  rudderless  out  to  sea — if  he 
is  to  ride  masterfully  upon  that  sea  he  must  have 
power. 

If  that  young  woman  is  to  be  as  attractive,  and 
womanly  winsome  in  the  society  circle  where  she 
moves,  as  she  is  meant  to  be,  and  yet  able  to  shape 
her  lips  into  a  gently  uttered,  but  rock-ribbed  no 
when  certain  well-understood  questionable  matters 
come  up,  she  must  have  power.  If  society  young 
people  are  to  remain  in  the  world,  and  yet  not  be 
swayed  by  its  spirit:  on  one  side  not  prudish,  nor 
fanatical,  nor  extreme,  but  cheery,  and  radiant,  and 
full-lived,  and  yet  free  of  those  compromising  en- 


The  Olivet  Message.  35 

tanglements  that  are  common  to  society  everywhere, 
they  must  have  a  rare  pervasive  power. 

For  that  business  man  down  in  the  sharp  compe- 
tition of  the  world  where  duty  calls  him,  to  resist 
the  sly  temptations  to  overreach,  to  keep  keenly 
alert  not  to  be  overreached;  and  through  all  to  pre- 
serve an  uncensorious  spirit,  unhurt  by  the  selfish- 
ness of  the  crowd — tell  me,  some  of  you  men — will 
that  not  take  power?  Aye,  more  power  than  some 
of  us  know  about,  yet. 

For  that  same  man  to  go  through  his  store  and 
remove  from  shelf  or  counter  some  article  which 
yields  a  good  profit,  but  which  he  knows  his  Master 
would  not  have  there — Ah!  that'll  take  power. 

It  takes  power  to  keep  the  body  under  control: 
the  mouth  clean  and  sweet,  both  physically  and 
morally:  the  eye  turned  away  from  the  thing  that 
should  not  be  thought  about :  the  ear  closed  to  what 
should  not  enter  that  in-gate  of  the  heart:  to  allow 
no  picture  to  hang  upon  the  walls  of  your  imagina- 
tion that  may  not  hang  upon  the  walls  of  your  home : 
to  keep  every  organ  of  the  body  pure  for  nature's 
holy  function  only — that  takes  mighty  power. 

For  that  young  man  to  be  wide-awake,  a  pusher 
in  business,  and  yet  steadily,  determinedly  to  hold 
back  any  crowding  of  the  other  side  of  his  life:  the 
inner  side,  the  outer-helpful  side,  the  Bible-reading- 
and  secret-prayer-  and  quiet  personal-work-side  of 
his  life,  that  will  take  real  power. 

It  will  take  a  power  that  some  of  us  have  not 


36  The  Olivet  Message. 

known  to  let  that  glass  go  untouched,  and  that 
quieting  drug  untasted  and  unhandled.  If  the  rear 
end  of  some  pharmacies  could  speak  out,  many  a 
story  would  startle  our  ears  of  struggles  and  defeats 
that  tell  sadly  of  utter  lack  of  power. 

//  takes  power  for  the  man  of  God  in  the  pulpit 
to  speak  plainly  about  particular  sins  before  the 
faces  of  those  who  are  living  in  them ;  and  still  more 
power  to  do  it  with  the  rare  tactfulness  and  tender- 
ness of  the  Galilean  preacher.  //  takes  power  to 
stick  to  the  Gospel  story  and  the  old  book,  when 
literature  and  philosophy  present  such  fine  opportu- 
nities for  the  essays  that  are  so  enjoyable  and  that 
bring  such  flattering  notice.  //  takes  power  to  leave 
out  the  finely  woven  rhetoric  that  you  are  disposed 
to  put  in  for  the  sake  of  the  compliment  it  will  bring 
from  that  literary  woman  down  yonder,  or  that 
bright,  brainy  young  lawyer  in  the  fifth  pew  on  the 
left  aisle.  //  takes  power  to  see  that  the  lips  that 
speak  for  God  are  thoroughly  clean  lips,  and  the  life 
that  stands  before  that  audience  a  pure  life. 

//  takes  power  to  keep  sweet  in  the  home,  where, 
if  anywhere,  the  seamy  side  is  apt  to  stick  out. 
How  many  wooden  oaths  could  kicked  chairs  and 
slammed  doors  tell  of!  After  all  the  home-life 
comes  close  to  being  the  real  test  of  power,  does  it 
not?  //  takes  power  to  be  gracious  and  strong,  and 
patient  and  tender,  and  cheery,  in  *he  commonplace 
things,  and  the  commonplace  places,  does  it  not? 

Now,  I  have  something  to  tell  you  to-night  that  to 


The  Olivet  Message.  37 

me  is  very  wonderful,  and  constantly  growing  in 
wonder.  It  is  this — the  Master  has  thought  of  all 
that/  He  has  thought  into  your  life.  Yes,  I  mean 
your  particular  life,  and  made  an  arrangement  to 
fully  cover  all  your  need  of  power.  He  stands  anew 
in  our  midst  to-day,  and  putting  His  pierced  hand 
gently  upon  your  arm,  His  low,  loving,  clear  voice 
says  quietly,  but  very  distinctly,  "You — you  shall 
have  power."  For  every  subtle,  strong  temptation, 
for  every  cry  of  need,  for  every  low  moan  of  disap- 
pointment, for  every  locking  of  the  jaws  in  the  reso- 
lution of  despair,  for  every  disheartened  look  out 
into  the  morrow,  for  every  yearningly  ambitious 
heart  there  comes  to-night  that  unmistakable  ring- 
ing promise  of  His — ye  shall  have  power. 

The  Olivet  Message. 

Our  needs  argue  the  necessity  of  power.  And 
the  argument  is  strengthened  by  the  peculiar  em- 
phasis of  the  Master's  words.  Do  you  remember 
that  wondrous  Olivet  scene?  In  the  quiet  twilight 
of  a  Sabbath  evening  a  group  of  twelve  young  men 
stand  yonder  on  the  brow  of  Olives.  The  last  glow- 
ing gleams  of  the  setting  sun  fill  all  the  western  sky, 
and  shed  a  halo  of  yellow  glory-light  over  the  hill- 
top, through  the  trees,  in  upon  that  group.  You 
instantly  pick  out  the  leader.  No  mistaking  Him. 
And  around  Him  group  the  eleven  men  who  have 
lived  with  Him  these  months  past,  now  eagerly  gaz- 


3  8  The  Olivet  Message. 

ing  into  that  marvelous  face,  listening  for  His  words. 
He  is  going  away.  They  know  that.  Coming  back 
soon,  they  understand.  But  in  His  absence  the 
work  He  has  begun  is  to  be  entrusted  to  their 
hands.  And  so  with  ears  and  eyes  they  listen  in- 
tently for  the  good-bye  word — His  last  message.  It 
will  mean  so  much  in  the  coming  days. 

Two  things  the  Master  says.  The  first  is  that 
ringing  "go  ye"  so  familiar  to  every  true  heart. 
The  second  is  a  very  decisive,  distinct  "but  tarry  ye." 
What,  wait  still  longer!  Tarry,  now,  when  your 
great  work  is  done!  Listen  again,  while  His  part- 
ing words  cut  the  air  with  their  startling  distinctness 
"but  tarry  ye — until  ye  be  endued  with  power." 

I  could  readily  imagine  impulsive  Peter  quickly 
saying,  "What!  shall  we  tarry  when  the  whole 
world  is  dying!  Do  we  not  know  enough  now?'* 
And  the  Master's  answer  would  come  in  that  clear, 
quiet  voice  of  His,  "yes,  tarry:  you  have  knowledge 
enough,  but  knowledge  is  not  enough,  there  must  be 
power." 

There  is  knowledge  enough  within  the  Christian 
church  of  every  land — aye,  knowledge  enough 
within  the  walls  of  this  building  to-night  to  convert 
the  world,  if  knowledge  would  do  it.  Into  many  a 
life,  through  home  training,  and  school,  and  college, 
has  come  knowledge,  while  power  lingers  without — 
a  stranger.  Knowledge — the  twin  idol  with  gold  to 
American  hearts — is  essential,  but,  let  it  be  plainly 
said,  is  not  the  essential.  Knowledge  is  the  fuel 


The  Olivet  Message.  39 

p'led  up  in  the  fireplace.  The  mantel  is  of  carved 
oak,  and  the  fenders  so  highly  polished  they  seem 
almtst  to  send  out  warmth,  but  the  thermometer  is 
working  down  toward  zero,  and  the  people  are  shiv- 
ering. The  spark  of  living  fire  is  essential.  Then 
how  all  changes!  There  must  be  fire  from  above  to 
kindle  otr  knowledge  and  ourselves  before  any  of 
the  needed  results  will  come. 

There  is  no  language  strong  enough  to  tell  how 
absolutely  needful  it  is  that  every  follower  of  Jesus 
Christ  from  the  one  most  prominent  in  leadership 
down  to  the  very  humblest  disciple,  shall  receive  this 
promised  power.  , 

Look  at  these  men  Jesus  is  talking  to.  There  is 
Peter,  the  man  of  rock,  and  John  and  James,  the 
sons  of  thunder.  They  were  with  the  Lord  on  the 
Transfiguration  Mount,  and  when  He  raised  the 
dead.  They  were  near  by  during  the  awful  agony 
of  Gethsemane.  They  were  admitted  nearer  to  the 
Master's  inner  life  than  any  others.  There  is  quiet 
matter-of-fact  Andrew,  who  had  a  reputation  for 
bringing  others  to  Jesus.  There  is  Nathanael,  in 
whom  is  no  guile.  It  is  to  these  men  that  there 
comes  that  positive  command  to  tarry.  If  they 
needed  such  a  command,  do  not  we? 

"Yes,"  someone  says,  "I  understand  that  this 
power  you  speak  of  is  something  the  leaders  and 
preachers  must  have,  but  you  scarcely  mean  that 
there  is  the  same  necessity  for  us  people  down  in 
the  ranks,  and  that  we  are  to  expect  the  same  power 


40  The  Olivet  Message. 

as  these  others,  do  you?"  Will  you  please  call  .'0 
mind  that  original  Pentecost  company?  There  vere 
one  hundred  and  twenty  of  them.  And  while  'here 
was  a  Peter  being  prepared  to  preach  that  tremen- 
dous sermon,  and  a  John  to  write  five  books  of  the 
New  Testament  and  probably  a  James  to  preside 
over  the  affairs  of  the  Jerusalem  Church,  and  pos- 
sibly a  Stephen,  and  a  Philip,  yet  these  are  only  a 
few.  By  far  the  greater  number,  both  men  and 
women,  are  unnamed  and  unknown.  Just  the  com- 
mon, every-day  folk,  the  filling-in  of  society;  aye, 
the  very  foundation  of  all  society.  They  had  no 
prominent  part  to  play.  But  they  accepted  the 
Master's  promise  of  power,  and  His  command  to 
wait,  as  made  to  them.  And  as  a  result  they,  too, 
were  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  wonderful 
morning.  I  think,  very  likely,  "the  good  man  of  the 
house"  whose  guest  Jesus  was  that  last  night  was 
there,  and  all  the  Marys,  including  the  Bethany 
Mary,  who  simply  sat  at  His  feet,  and  the  Magda- 
lene Mary,  and  housekeeper  Martha,  and  maybe 
that  little  lad  whose  loaves  and  fishes  had  been  used 
about  a  year  before.  That  was  the  sort  of  com- 
pany that  prayerfully,  with  one  accord,  not  only 
waited  but  received  that  never-to-be-forgotten  filling 
of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Certainly,  as  some  of  you  think,  the  preacher 
must  have  this  power  peculiarly  for  his  leadership. 
But  just  as  really  he  needs  it  because  he  is  a  man  for 
his  living,  to  make  him  sweet  and  gentle  and  patient 


The  Olivet  Message.  41 

down  in  his  home:  to  make  him  sympathetic  and 
strong  in  his  constant  contact  with  the  hungry  hearts 
he  must  meet.  That  young  mechanic  must  have  this 
promised  power  if  he  is  to  live  an  earnest,  manly  life  in 
that  shop.  That  school  girl,  whose  home  duties  crowd 
her  time  so;  that  keen-minded  student  working  for 
honors  amid  strong  competition;  these  society  young 
people;  these  all  need,  above  all  else,  this  promised 
power  that  in,  and  through,  and  around  and  above 
all  of  their  lives  may  be  a  wholesomely  sweet,  earn- 
est Christlmess,  pervading  the  life  even  as  the  odor 
of  flowers  pervades  a  room. 

Do  you  remember  Paul's  list  of  the  traits  of  char- 
acter that  mark  a  Christian  life — love,  joy,  peace, 
long-suffering,  gentleness,  goodness,  meekness, 
faithfulness,  self-control?1  Suppose  for  a  moment 
you  think  through  a  list  of  the  opposites  of  those 
nine  characteristics — bitterness,  envy,  hate,  low- 
spiritedness,  sulkiness,  chafing,  fretting,  worrying, 
short-suffering,  quick-temper,  hot-temper,  high- 
spiritedness,  unsteadiness,  unreliability,  lack  of  con- 
trol of  yourself.  May  I  ask,  have  you  any  personal 
acquaintance  with  some  of  these  qualities?  Is  there 
still  some  need  in  your  life  for  the  other  desirable 
traits?  Well,  remember  that  it  is  only  as  the  Holy 
Spirit  has  control  that  this  fruit  of  His  is  found. 
For  notice  that  it  is  not  we  that  bear  this  fruit,  but 
He  in  us.  We  furnish  the  soil.  He  must  have  free 
swing  in  its  cultivation  if  He  is  to  get  this  harvest. 

1  Gal.,  5:22. 


42  The  Olivet  Message. 

And  notice,  too,  that  it  does  not  say  "the  fruits  of 
the  Spirit, ' '  as  though  you  might  have  one  or  more, 
and  /  have  some  others.  But  it  is  "fruit" — that 
is,  it  is  all  one  fruit  and  all  of  it  is  meant  to  be  grow- 
ing up  in  each  one  of  us.  And  let  the  fact  be  put 
down  as  settled  once  for  all  that  only  as  we  tarry 
and  receive  the  Master's  promise  of  power  can  we 
live  the  lives  He  longs  to  have  us  live  down  here 
among  men  for  Him. 

If  that  father  is  so  to  live  at  home  before  those 
wide-awake,  growing  boys  that  he  can  keep  up  the 
family  altar,  and  instead  of  letting  it  become  a  mere 
irksome  form,  make  it  the  green,  fresh  spot  in  the 
home  life,  he  must  have  this  promised  power,  for  he 
cannot  do  it  of  himself.  I  presume  some  of  you 
fathers  know  that. 

There  is  that  mother,  living  in  what  would  be  reck- 
oned a  humble  home,  one  of  a  thousand  like  it,  but 
charged  with  the  most  sacred  trust  ever  committed 
to  human  hands — the  molding  0}  precious  lives.  If 
there  be  hallowed  ground  anywhere  surely  it  is  there, 
in  the  life  of  that  home.  What  patience  and  tire- 
lessness,  and  love  and  tact  and  wisdom  and  wealth 
of  resource  does  that  woman  not  need!  Ah,  moth- 
ers! if  any  one  needs  to  tarry  and  receive  the  power 
promised  by  the  Son  of  that  Mary,  who  was  filled 
with  the  Holy  Spirit  from  before  His  birth  for  her 
sacred  trust,  surely  you  do. 

Here  sits  one  whose  life  plans  seem  to  have  gone 
all  askew.  The  thing  you  love  to  do,  and  had 


The  Olivet  Message.  43 

fondly  planned  over,  removed  utterly  beyond  your 
reach,  and  you  compelled  to  fit  in  to  something  for 
which  you  have  no  taste.  It  will  take  nothing  less 
than  the  power  the  Master  promised  for  you  to  go 
on  faithfully,  cheerfully  just  where  you  have  been 
placed,  no  repining,  no  complaining,  even  in  your 
innermost  soul,  but,  instead,  a  glad,  joyous  fitting 
into  the  Father's  plan  with  a  radiant  light  in  the 
face.  Only  His  power  can  accomplish  that  victory! 
But  His  can.  And  His  may  be  yours  for  the  tarry- 
ing and  the  taking. 

Let  me  repeat  then  with  all  the  emphasis  pos- 
sible that  as  certainly  as  you  need  to  trust  Jesus 
Christ  for  your  soul's  salvation,  you  also  need  to 
receive  this  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  work  that 
salvation  out  in  your  present  life. 

A  Double  Center. 

It  has  helped  me  greatly  in  understanding  the 
Master's  insistent  emphasis  upon  the  promise  of 
power  to  keep  clearly  in  mind  that  the  Christian 
system  of  truth  revolves  around  a  double  center. 
It  is  illustrated  best  not  by  a  circle  with  its  single 
center,  but  by  an  ellipse  with  its  twin  centers. 
There  are  two  central  truths — not  one,  but  two. 
The  first  of  the  two  is  grained  deep  down  in  the 
common  Christian  teaching  and  understanding.  If 
I  should  ask  any  group  of  Sabbath  school  children 
in  this  town,  next  Sabbath  morning,  the  question: 


44  The  Olivet  Message. 

What  is  the  most  important  thing  we  Christians 
believe?  Amid  the  great  variety  in  the  form  of 
answer  would  come,  in  substance,  without  doubt, 
this  reply:  "The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  deanseth  from 
all  sin."  And  they  would  be  right.  But  there  is  a 
second  truth — very  reverently  and  thoughtfully  let 
me  say — of  equal  importance  with  that ;  namely,  this : 
the  Holy  Spirit  empowereth  against  all  sin,  and  for 
life  and  service.  These  two  truths  are  co-ordinate. 
They  run  in  parallel  lines.  They  belong  together. 
They  are  really  two  halves  of  the  one  great  truth. 
But  this  second  half  needs  emphasis,  because  it  has 
not  always  been  put  into  its  proper  place  beside  the 
other. 

Jesus  died  on  the  cross  to  make  freedom  from  sin 
possible.  The  Holy  Spirit  dwells  within  me  to  make 
freedom  from  sin  actual.  The  Holy  Spirit  does  in 
me  what  Jesus  did  for  me.  The  Lord  Jesus  makes 
a  deposit  in  the  bank  on  my  account.  The  Spirit 
checks  the  money  out  and  puts  it  into  my  hands. 
Jesus  does  in  me  now  by  His  Spirit  what  He  did  for 
me  centuries  ago  on  the  cross,  in  His  person. 

Now  these  two  truths,  or  two  parts  of  the  same 
truth,  go  together  in  God's  plan,  but,  with  some 
exceptions,  have  not  gone  together  in  men's  experi- 
ence. That  explains  why  so  many  Christian  lives 
are  a  failure  and  a  reproach.  The  Church  of  Christ 
has  been  gazing  so  intently  upon  the  hill  of  the  cross 
with  its  blood-red  message  of  sin  and  love,  that  it 
has  largely  lost  sight  of  the  Ascension  Mount  with 


The  Olivet  Message.  45 

its  legacy  of  power.  We  have  been  so  enwrapt 
with  that  marvelous  scene  on  Calvary — and  what 
wonder! — that  we  have  allowed  ourselves  to  lose  the 
intense  significance  of  Pentecost.  That  last  vic- 
torious shout — "It  is  finished" — has  been  crowd- 
ing out  in  our  ears  its  counterpart — the  equally 
victorious  cry  of  Olivet — "All  power  hath  been  given 
unto  Me." 

The  Christian's  range  of  vision  must  always  take 
in  two  hill-tops — Calvary  and  Olivet.  Calvary — 
sin  conquered  through  the  blood  of  Jesus,  a  matter 
of  history.  Olivet — sin  conquered  through  the 
power  of  Jesus,  a  matter  of  experience.  When  the 
subject  is  spoken  of,  we  are  apt  to  say:  "Yes,  that 
is  correct.  I  understand  that."  But  do  we  under- 
stand it  in  our  experience?  So  certainly  as  I  must 
trust  Jesus  as  my  Saviour  so  certainly  must  I  con- 
stantly yield  my  life  to  the  control  of  the  Spirit  of 
Jesus  if  I  am  to  find  real  the  practical  power  of  His 
salvation. 

As  surely  as  men  are  now  urged  to  accept  Jesus 
as  the  great  step  in  life,  so  surely  should  they  be 
instructed  to  yield  themselves  to  the  Holy  Spirit's 
control  that  Jesus'  plan  for  their  lives  may  be  carried 
through. 

You  remember  in  the  olden  time  the  Hebrew  men 
were  required  to  appear  before  God  in  the  appointed 
place  three  times  during  the  year.  At  the  Pass- 
over, and  at  Pentecost,  and  again  at  the  harvest 
home  feast  of  Tabernacles.  So  it  is  required  of 


46  The  Olivet  Message. 

every  man  of  us  who  would  fit  his  life  into  God's 
plan  that  he  shall  first  of  all  come  to  the  Passover 
feast,  where  Christ  our  Passover  is  sacrificed  for  us. 
And  then  that  he  shall  as  certainly  come  to  the  great 
Pentecost  feast,  or  feast  of  first  fruits  where  a  glori- 
fied Passover  Lamb  breathes  down  His  Spirit  of 
power  into  the  life.  And  then  he  is  sure  to  have  a 
constant  attendance  at  a  first-fruits  feast  all  his  days, 
with  a  great  harvest  home  festival  at  the  end. 

I  said  there  were  two  central  truths.  Will  you 
notice  that  the  gospels  put  it  also  in  this  way,  that 
Jesus  came  to  do  two  things — not  one  thing,  but  two 
things — in  working  out  our  salvation.  That  the  first 
is  dependent  for  its  practical  power  upon  the  second, 
and  the  second  is  the  completing  or  carrying  into 
effect  of  the  power  of  the  first.  That  the  first — let 
me  say  it  with  great  reverence — is  valueless  without 
the  second. 

What  was  Jesus'  mission?  Would  you  not  ex- 
pect His  forerunner  to  understand  it?  Listen,  then, 
to  his  words.  When  questioned  specifically  by  the 
official  deputation  sent  from  the  national  leaders  at 
Jerusalem,  he  pointed  to  Jesus,  and  declared  that 
He  had  come  for  a  two-fold  purpose.  Listen: 
"Behold  the  Lamb  of  God  who  beareth  away  the 
sin  of  the  world";  and  then  he  added,  and  the  word 
comes  to  us  with  the  peculiar  emphasis  of  repetition 
by  each  of  the  four  gospel  scribes — "this  is  He 
that  baptizeth  with  the  Holy  Spirit."  That  was 
spoken  to  them  originally  without  doubt  in  a  national 


The  Olivet  Message.  47 

sense.  It  just  as  surely  applies  to  every  one  of  us 
in  a  personal  sense. 

Mark  also  the  emphasis  of  Jesus'  own  teachings 
regarding  this  second  part  of  His  mission.  At  the 
very  beginning  He  spoke  the  decided  words  about 
the  necessity  of  being  born  of  the  Spirit.  And  we 
are  all  impressed  with  that  fact.  But  observe  that 
several  times,  in  the  brief  gospel  record,  He  refers 
the  disciples  to  the  overshadowing  importance  of  the 
Spirit's  control  in  the  life.  And  that  He  devotes  a 
large  part  of  that  last  long  confidential  talk  which 
John  records,  to  this  special  subject,  pointing  out 
the  new  experiences  to  come  with  the  coming  of  the 
Spirit,  and  holding  out  to  them  as  the  greatest  evi- 
dence of  His  own  love  the  promise  of  power. 

It  adds  intense  emphasis  to  all  this  to  note  that 
Jesus  Himself,  very  Son  of  God,  was  in  that  won- 
derful human  life  of  His  utterly  dependent  upon  the 
Holy  Spirit.  At  the  very  outset,  before  venturing 
upon  a  single  act  or  word  of  His  appointed  ministry, 
He  waits  at  the  Jordan  waters,  until  the  promised 
anointing  of  power  came.  What  a  picture  does  that 
prayerfully  waiting  Jesus  present  to  powerless  men 
to-day!  From  that  moment  every  bit  and  part  of 
His  life  was  under  the  control  of  that  Holy  Spirit. 
Impelled  into  the  wilderness  for  that  fierce  set-to 
with  Satan,  coming  back  to  Galilee  within  the  power 
of  the  Spirit,  He  himself  clearly  stated  more  than 
once,  that  it  was  through  this  anointing  that  He 
preached,  and  taught,  and  healed,  and  cast  out 


48  The  Olivet  Message. 

demons.  The  writer  to  the  Hebrews  assures  us 
that  it  was  through  the  power  of  the  Eternal  Spirit 
that  He  was  enabled  to  go  through  the  awful  experi- 
ences of  Gethsemane  and  Calvary.  And  Luke 
adds  that  it  was  through  the  same  empowering 
Spirit  that  He  gave  commandment  to  the  apostles 
for  the  stupendous  task  of  world- wide  evangeliza- 
tion. And  then  at  the  very  last  referring  them  to 
that  life  of  His,  He  said:  "As  ths  father  hath  sent 
Me  even  so  send  I  you."  Let  me  ask  if  He,  ve 
God  of  very  God,  yet  in  His  earthly  life  intensely 
human,  needed  that  anointing,  do  not  we?  If  He 
waited  for  that  experience  before  venturing  upon 
any  service,  shall  not  you  and  I? 

But  we  must  turn  to  the  book  of  Acts  to  get  fully 
within  the  grip  of  this  truth.  For  it,  with  the 
epistles  fitting  into  it,  is  peculiarly  the  Holy  Spirit 
book,  even  as  the  Old  Testament  is  the  Jehovah  book 
and  the  gospels  with  Revelation  the  Jesus  book. 
The  climax  of  the  gospels  is  in  the  Acts.  What  is 
promised  in  the  gospels  is  experienced  in  the  Acts. 

Jesus  is  dominant  in  the  gospels;  the  Spirit  of 
Jesus  in  the  Acts.  He  is  the  only  continuous  per- 
sonality from  first  to  last.  He  is  the  common  de- 
nominator of  the  book.  The  first  twelve  chapters 
group  about  Peter,  the  remaining  sixteen  about 
Paul,  but  distinctly  above  both  they  all  group  about 
the  Holy  Spirit.  He  is  the  one  dominant  factor 
throughout.  The  first  fourth  of  the  book  is  fairly 
aflame  with  His  presence  at  the  center — Jerusalem. 


The  Olivet  Message.  49 

Thence  out  to  Samaria,  and  through  the  Cornelius 
door  to  the  whole  outer  non-Jewish  world;  at  Anti- 
och  the  new  center,  and  thence  through  the  uttermost 
parts  of  the  Roman  empire  into  its  heart,  His  is  the 
presence  recognized  and  obeyed.  He  is  ceaselessly 
guiding,  empowering,  inspiring,  checking,  controll- 
ing clear  to  the  abrupt  end.  His  is  the  one  master- 
ing personality.  And  everywhere  His  presence  is  a 
transforming  presence.  Nothing  short  of  startling 
is  the  change  in  Peter,  in  the  attitude  of  the  Jerusa- 
lem thousands,  in  the  persecutor  Saul,  in  the  spirit 
of  these  disciples,  in  the  unprecedented  and  unparal- 
leled unselfishness  shown.  It  is  revolutionary.  Ah ! 
it  was  meant  to  be  so.  This  book  is  the  living  illus- 
tration of  what  Jesus  meant  by  His  teaching  regard- 
ing His  successor.  It  becomes  also  an  acted 
illustration  of  what  the  personal  Christian  life  is 
meant  to  be. 

The  Spirit's  presence  and  the  necessity  of  His 
control  is  deep-grained  in  the  consciousness  of  the 
leaders  in  this  book.  Leaving  the  stirring  scenes  at 
the  capital  the  eighth  chapter  takes  us  down  to 
Samaria.  Multitudes  have  been  led  to  believe 
through  the  preaching  of  a  man  who  has  been 
chosen  to  look  after  the  business  matters  of  the 
church.  Peter  and  John  are  sent  down  to  aid  the 
new  movement.  Note  that  their  very  first  concern 
is  to  spend  time  in  prayer  that  this  great  company 
may  receive  the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  next  chapter  shifts  the  scene  to  Damascus. 


50  The  Olivet  Message. 

A  man  unknown  save  for  this  incident  is  sent  as 
God's  messenger  to  Saul.  As  he  lays  his  hand  upon 
this  chosen  man  and  speaks  the  light-giving  words 
he  instinctively  adds,  "and  be  filled  with  the  Holy 
Spirit."  That  is  not  recorded  as  a  part  of  what  he 
had  been  told  to  do.  But  plainly  this  humble  man 
of  God  believes  that  that  is  the  essential  element  in 
Saul's  preparation  for  his  great  work. 

In  the  tenth  chapter  the  Holy  Spirit's  action  with 
Cornelius  completely  upsets  the  life-long,  rock- 
rooted  ideas  of  these  intensely  national,  and  intensely 
exclusive  Jews.  Yet  it  is  accepted  as  final. 

With  what  quaint  simplicity  does  the  thirteenth 
chapter  tell  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  initiation  of  those 
great  missionary  journeys  of  Paul  from  the  new 
center  of  world  evangelization?  "the  Holy  Spirit 
said,  etc."  And  how  like  it  is  the  language  of 
James  in  delivering  the  judgment  of  the  first  church 
council: — "it  seemed  good  to  the  Holy  Spirit  and  to 
us." 

Paul's  conviction  is  very  plain  from  numerous 
references  in  those  wonderful  heart-searching  and 
heart-revealing  letters  of  his.  But  one  instance  in 
this  Book  of  Acts  will  serve  as  a  fair  illustration  of 
his  teaching  and  habit.  It  is  in  the  nineteenth 
chapter.  In  his  travels  he  has  come  as  far  as  to 
Ephesus,  and  finds  there  a  small  company  of  earnest 
disciples.  They  are  strangers  to  him.  He  longs  to 
help  them,  but  must  first  find  their  need.  At  once 
he  puts  a  question  to  them.  A  question  may  be  a 


The  Olivet  Message.  51 

great  revealer.  This  one  reveals  his  own  concep- 
tion of  what  must  be  the  pivotal  experience  of  every 
true  follower  of  Jesus.  He  asks:  "Did  ye  receive 
the  Holy  Spirit  when  ye  believed?" 

But  they  had  been  poorly  instructed,  like  many 
others  since,  and  were  not  clear  just  what  he  meant. 
They  had  received  the  baptism  of  John — a  baptism 
of  repentance;  but  not  the  baptism  of  Jesus — a  bap-  • 
tism  of  power.  And  Paul  at  once  gives  himself  up 
to  instructing  and  then  praying  with  them  until  the 
promised  gift  is  graciously  bestowed.  That  is  the 
last  we  hear  of  those  twelve  persons.  Some  of 
them  may  have  been  women.  Some  may  have  come 
to  be  leaders  in  that  great  Ephesian  Church.  But  of 
that  nothing  is  said.  The  emphasis  remains  on  the 
fact  that  in  Paul's  mind  because  they  were  followers 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  they  must  have  this  empowering 
experience  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  infilling. 

Plainly  in  this  Book  of  Acts  the  pivot  on  which  all 
else  rests  and  turns  is  the  unhindered  presence  of 
the  Holy  Spirit. 

Five  Essentials. 

If  you  will  stop  a  while  to  think  into  it  you  will 
find  that  a  rightly  rounded  Christian  life  has  five 
essential  characteristics.  I  mean  essential  in  the 
same  sense  as  that  light  is  an  essential  to  the  eye. 
The  eye's  seeing  depends  wholly  on  light.  If  it 
does  not  see  light,  by  and  by,  it  cannot  see  light. 


52  The  Olivet  Message. 

The  ear  that  hears  no  sound  loses  the  power  to  hear 
sound.  Light  is  essential  to  the  healthful  eye: 
sound  to  the  ear:  air  to  the  lungs:  blood  to  the 
heart.  Just  as  really  are  these  five  things  essential 
to  a  strong  healthful  Christian  life. 

The  second  of  these  is  a  heart-love  for  the  old  Book 
of  God.  Not  reading  it  as  a  duty — taking  a  chap- 
ter at  night  because  you  feel  you  must.  I  do  not 
mean  that  just  now.  But  reading  it  because  you 
love  to;  as  you  would  a  love  letter  or  a  letter  from 
home.  Thinking  about  it  as  the  writer  of  the  one 
hundred  and  nineteenth  psalm  did.  Listen  to  him 
for  a  moment  in  that  one  psalm,  talking  about  this 
book:  "I  delight,"  "I  will  delight,"  "My  de- 
light"—in  all  nine  times.  "I  love,"  "Oh!  howl 
love,"  "I  do  love,"  "Consider  how  I  love,"  "I 
love  exceedingly,"  again  nine  times  in  all.  "I  have 
longed,"  "My  eyes  fail,"  "My  soul  breaketh," 
speaking  of  the  intensity  of  his  desire  to  get  alone 
with  the  book.  "Sweeter  than  honey,"  "As  great 
spoil,"  "As  much  as  all  riches,"  "Better  than  thou- 
sands of  gold,"  "Above  gold,  yea,  above  fine  gold." 
And  all  that  packed  into  less  than  two  leaves.  Do 
you  love  this  Book  like  that?  Would  you  like  to? 
Wait  a  moment. 

The  third  essential  is  right  habits  of  prayer. 
Living  a  veritable  life  of  prayer.  Making  prayer 
the  chief  part  not  alone  of  your  life,  but  of  your 
service.  Having  answers  to  prayer  as  a  constant  ex- 
perience. Being  like  the  young  man  in  a  conference 


The  Olivet  Message.  53 

in  India,  who  said,  "I  used  to  pray  three  times  a 
day:  Now  I  pray  only  once  a  day,  and  that  is  all 
day."  Feet  busy  all  the  day,  hands  ceaselessly 
active,  head  full  of  matters  of  business,  but  the 
heart  never  out  of  communication  with  Him.  Has 
prayer  become  to  you  like  that?  Would  you  have  it 
so?  Wait  a  moment. 

The  fourth  essential  is  a  pure,  earnest,  unselfish 
life.  Our  lives  are  the  strongest  part  of  us — or  else 
the  weakest.  A  man  knows  the  least  of  the  influ- 
ence of  his  own  life.  Life  is  not  mere  length  of 
time  but  the  daily  web  of  character  we  uncon- 
sciously weave.  Our  thoughts,  imaginations,  pur- 
poses, motives,  love,  will,  are  the  under  threads: 
our  words,  tone  of  voice,  looks,  acts,  habits  are 
the  upper  threads :  and  the  passing  moment  is  the 
shuttle  swiftly,  ceaselessly,  relentlessly,  weaving 
those  threads  into  a  web,  and  that  web  is  life.  It 
is  woven,  not  by  our  wishing,  or  willing,  but  irresist- 
ibly, unavoidably,  woven  by  what  we  are,  moment 
by  moment,  hour  after  hour.  What  is  your  life 
weaving  out?  Is  it  attractive  because  of  the  power 
in  it  of  His  presence?  Would  you  have  it  so? 
Would  you  know  the  secret  of  a  life  marked  by  the 
strange  beauty  of  humility,  and  fragrant  with  the 
odor  of  His  presence?  Wait  just  a  moment. 

The  fifth  essential  is  a  passion  for  winning  others 
one  by  one  to  the  Lord  Jesus.  A  passion,  I  say. 
I  may  use  no  weaker  word  than  that.  A  passion 
burning  with  the  steady  flame  of  anthracite.  A 


54  The  Olivet  Message. 

passion  for  -winning:  not  driving,  nor  dragging,  but 
drawing  men.  I  am  not  talking  about  preachers 
just  now,  as  preachers,  but  about  every  one  of  us. 
Do  you  know  the  peculiar  delight  there  is  in  winning 
the  fellow  by  your  side,  the  girl  in  your  social  circle, 
to  Jesus  Christ?  No?  Ah.  you  have  missed  half 
your  life!  Would  you  have  such  an  intense  passion 
as  that,  thrilling  your  heart,  and  inspiring  your  life, 
and  know  how  to  do  it  skillfully  and  tactfully? 

Let  me  tell  you  with  my  heart  that  the  secret  not 
only  of  this,  but  of  all  four  of  these  essentials  I  have 
named  lies  in  the  first  one  which  I  have  not  yet 
named,  and  grows  out  of  it.  Given  the  first  the 
others  will  follow  as  day  follows  the  rising  sun. 

What  is  the  first  great  essential?  It  is  this— the 
unrestrained,  unhindered,  controlling  presence  in  the 
heart  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  is  allowing  Jesus'  other 
Self,  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  take  full  possession  and 
maintain  a  loving  but  absolute  monopoly  of  all  youi 
powers. 

Tarry. 

My  friend,  have  you  received  this  promised  power? 
Is  there  a  growing  up  of  those  four  things  within 
you  by  His  grace?  Does  the  Holy  Spirit  have  free- 
ness  of  sway  in  you?  Are  you  conscious  of  the  full- 
ness of  His  love  and  power — conscious  enough  to 
know  how  much  there  is  beyond  of  which  you  are 
not  conscious?  Does  your  heart  say,  "No."  Well, 


The  Olivet  Message.  55 

things  may  be  moving  smoothly  in  that  church  of 
which  you  are  pastor,  and  in  that  school  over  which 
you  preside.  Business  may  be  in  a  satisfactory 
condition.  Your  standing  in  society  may  be  quite 
pleasing.  Your  plans  working  out  well.  The  fam- 
ily may  be  growing  up  around  you  as  you  had  hoped. 
But  let  me  say  to  you  very  kindly  but  very  plainly 
your  life  thus  jar  is  a  failure.  You  have  been  suc- 
ceeding splendidly  it  may  be  in  a  great  many  impor- 
tant matters,  but  they  are  tte  details  and  in  the  main 
issue  you  have  failed  utterly. 

And  to  you  to-night  I  bring  one  message — the 
Master's  Olivet  message — "tarry  ye."  No  need  of 
tarrying,  as  with  these  disciples,  for  God  to  do  some- 
thing. His  part  has  been  done,  and  splendidly  done. 
And  He  waits  now  upon  you.  But  tarry  until  you 
are  willing  to  put  out  of  your  life  what  displeases 
Him,  no  matter  what  that  may  mean  to  you.  Tarry 
until  your  eyesight  is  corrected;  until  your  will  is 
surrendered.  Tarry  that  you  may  start  the  habit  of 
tarrying,  for  those  two  Olivet  words,  "Go"  and 
"tarry,"  will  become  the  even-balancing  law  of  your 
new  life.  A  constant  going  to  do  His  will;  a  con- 
tinual tarrying  to  find  out  His  will.  Tarry  to  get 
your  ears  cleared  and  quieted  so  you  can  learn  to 
recognize  that  low  voice  of  His.  Tarry  earnestly, 
steadily  until  that  touch  of  power  comes  to  change, 
and  cleanse,  and  quiet,  and  to  give  you  a  totally  new 
conception  of  what  power  is.  Then  you  can  under- 
stand the  experience  of  the  one  who  wrote: — 


56  The  Olivet  Message. 

"My  hands  were  filled  with  many  things 

That  I  did  precious  hold, 
As  any  treasure  of  a  king's — 

Silver,  or  gems,  or  gold. 
The  Master  came  and  touched  my  hands, 

(The  scars  were  in  His  own) 
And  at  His  feet  my  treasures  sweet 

Fell  shattered,  one  by  one. 
'I  must  have  empty  hands,'  said  He, 
'Wherewith  to  work  My  works  through  thee.' 

"My  hands  were  stained  with  marks  of  toil, 

Defiled  with  dust  of  earth; 
And  I  my  work  did  ofttimes  soil, 

And  render  little  worth. 
The  Master  came  and  touched  my  hands, 

(And  crimson  were  His  own) 
But  when,  amazed,  on  mine  I  gazed, 

Lo !  every  stain  was  gone. 
'I  must  have  cleansed  hands,'  said  He, 
'Wherewith  to  work  My  works  through  thee.' 

"My  hands  were  growing  feverish 

And  cumbered  with  much  care  I 
Trembling  with  haste  and  eagerness, 

Nor  folded  oft  in  prayer. 
The  Master  came  and  toucJied  my  hands, 

(With  healing  in  His  own) 
And  calm  and  still  to  do  His  will 

They  grew — the  fever  gone. 
'I  must  have  quiet  hands,'  said  He, 
'Wherewith  to  work  My  works  for  Me.' 

"My  hands  were  strong  in  fancied  strength, ' 

But  not  in  power  divine, 
And  bold  to  take  up  tasks  at  length, 
That  were  not  His  but  mine. 


The  Olivet  Message.  57 

The  Master  came  and  touched  my  hands, 

(And  might  was  in  His  own  I) 
But  mine  since  then  have  powerless  been, 

Save  His  are  laid  thereon. 
'And  it  is  only  thus,'  said  He, 
'That  I  can  work  My  works  through  thee.'  " 


THE  CHANNEL  OF  POWER. 


THE  CHANNEL  OF  POWER. 


A   Word  that  Sticks  and  Stings. 

I  suppose  everyone  here  can  think  of  three  or 
four  persons  whom  he  loves  or  regards  highly,  who 
are  not  Christians.  Can  you?  Perhaps  in  your 
own  home  circle,  or  in  the  circle  of  your  close 
friends.  They  may  be  nice  people,  cultured,  lov- 
able, delightful  companions,  fond  of  music  and  good 
books,  and  all  that;  but  this  is  true  of  them,  that 
they  do  not  trust  and  confess  Jesus  as  a  personal 
Savior.  Can  you  think  of  such  persons  in  your  own 
circle?  I  am  going  to  wait  a  few  moments  in 
silence  while  you  recall  them  to  mind,  if  you  will — 
Can  you  see  their  faces?  Are  their  names  clear  to 
your  minds? 

Now  I  want  to  talk  with  you  a  little  while  to- 
night, not  about  the  whole  world,  but  just  about 
these  three  or  four  dear  friends  of  yours.  I  am 
going  to  suppose  them  lovely  people  in  personal 
contact,  cultured,  and  kindly,  and  intelligent,  and  of 
good  habits  even  though  all  that  may  not  be  true 
of  all  of  them.  And,  I  want  to  ask  you  a  question 
— God's  question — about  them.  You  remember 
God  put  His  hand  upon  Cain's  arm,  and,  looking 
into  his  face,  said:  "Where  is  Abel,  thy  brother?" 
61 


62  The  Channel  of  Power. 

I  want  to  ask  you  that  question.  Where  are  these 
four  friends?  Not  where  are  they  socially,  nor 
financially,  nor  educationally.  These  are  important 
questions.  But  they  are  less  important  than  this 
other  question:  Where  are  they  as  touching  Him? 
Where  are  they  as  regards  the  best  life  here,  and 
the  longer  life  beyond  this  one? 

And  I  shall  not  ask  you  what  you  think  about  it. 
For  I  am  not  concerned  just  now  with  what  you 
think.  Nor  shall  I  tell  you  what  I  think.  For  I  am 
not  here  to  tell  you  what  I  think,  but  to  bring  a  mes- 
sage from  the  Master  as  plainly  and  kindly  as  I  can. 
So  I  shall  ask  you  to  notice  what  this  old  book 
of  God  says  about  these  friends  of  yours.  It 
is  full  of  statements  regarding  them.  I  can  take 
time  for  only  a  few. 

Turn,  for  instance,  to  the  last  chapter  of  Mark's 
Gospel,  and  the  sixteenth  verse,  and  you  will  find 
these  words:  "He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized 
shall  be  saved;  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be — ." 
You  know  the  last  word  of  that  sentence.  It  is  an 
ugly  word.  I  dislike  intensely  to  think  it,  much 
less  repeat  it.  It  is  one  of  those  blunt,  sharp, 
Anglo-Saxon  words  that  stick  and  sting.  I  wish  I 
had  a  tenderer  tone  of  voice,  in  which  to  repeat  it, 
and  then  only  in  a  low  whisper — it  is  so  awful — 
<l  damned" 

Let  me  ask  you  very  gently:  Does  the  first  part 
of  that  sentence — "he  that  believeth — trusteth — 
not,"  does  that  describe  the  four  friends  you  are 


The  Channel  of  Power.  63 

thinking  of  now?  And  please  remember  that  that 
word  "believeth"  does  not  mean  the  assent  of  the 
mind  to  a  form  of  creed :  never  that :  but  the  assent 
of  the  heart  to  a  person:  always  that.  "Yes,"  you 
say,  "I'm  afraid  it  does:  that  is  just  the  one  thing. 
He  is  thoughtful  and  gentlemanly;  she  is  kind  and 
good;  but  they  do  not  trust  Jesus  Christ  personally." 
Then  let  me  add,  very  kindly,  but  very  plainly,  if 
the  first  part  is  an  accurate  description  of  your 
friends,  the  second  part  is  meant  to  apply  to  them, 
too,  would  you  not  say?  And  that  is  an  awful  thing 
to  say. 

What  a  strange  book  this  Bible  is!  It  makes 
such  radical  statements,  and  uses  such  unpleasant 
words  that  grate  on  the  nerves,  and  startle  the  ear. 
No  man  would  have  dared  of  himself  to  write  such 
statements. 

I  remember  one  time  visiting  a  friend  in  Boston, 
engaged  in  Christian  work  there;  an  earnest  man. 
We  were  talking  one  day  about  this  very  thing  and 
I  recall  saying:  "Do  you  really  believe  that  what 
the  Bible  says  about  these  people  can  be  true? 
Because  if  it  is  you  and  I  should  be  tremendously 
stirred  up  over  it."  And  I  recall  distinctly  his 
reply,  after  a  moment's  pause,  "Well,  their  condi- 
tion certainly  will  be  unfortunate."  Unfortunate/ 
That  is  the  Bostonese  of  it.  That  is  a  much  less 
disagreeable  word.  It  has  a  smoother  finish — a  sort 
of  polish — to  it.  It  does  not  jar  on  your  feelings 
so.  But  this  book  uses  a  very  different  word  from 


64  The  Channel  of  Power. 

that,  a  word  that  must  grate  harshly  upon  every  ear 
here. 

I  know  very  well  that  some  persons  have  asso- 
ciated that  ugly  word  with  a  scene  something  like 
this:  They  have  imagined  a  man  standing  with  fist 
clenched,  and  eyes  flashing  fire,  and  the  lines  of  his 
face  knotted  up  hard,  as  he  says  in  a  harsh  voice, 
"He  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned,"  as  though 
he  found  pleasure  in  saying  it.  If  there  is  one  per- 
son here  to-night  who  ever  had  such  a  conception, 
will  you  kindly  cut  it  out  of  your  imagination  at 
once?  For  it  is  untrue.  And  put  in  its  place  the  true 
setting  of  the  word. 

Have  you  ever  noticed  what  a  difference  the  man- 
ner, and  expression  of  face,  and  tone  of  voice,  yes, 
and  the  character  of  a  person  make  in  the  impres- 
sion his  words  leave  upon  your  mind?  Now  mark: 
It  is  Jesus  talking  here.  Jesus — the  tenderest- 
hearted,  the  most  mother-hearted  man  this  world 
ever  listened  to.  Look  at  Him,  standing  there  on 
that  hilltop,  looking  out  toward  the  great  world  He 
has  just  died  for,  with  the  tears  coming  into  His 
eyes,  and  His  lips  quivering  with  the  awfulness  of 
what  He  was  saying — "he  that  believeth  not  shall 
be  damned,"  as  though  it  just  broke  his  heart  to  say 
it.  And  it  did  break  His  heart  that  it  might  not  be 
true  of  us.  For  He  died  literally  of  a  broken  heart, 
the  walls  of  that  great,  throbbing  muscle  burst 
asunder  by  the  strain  of  soul.  That  is  the  true  set- 
ting of  that  terrific  statement. 


The  Channel  of  Power.  65 

Please  notice  it  does  not  say  that  God  damns 
men.  You  will  find  that  nowhere  within  the  pages 
of  this  book.  But  it  is  love  talking;  love  that  sees 
the  end  of  the  road  and  speaks  of  it.  And  true  love 
tells  the  truth  at  all  risks  when  it  must  be  told. 
And  Jesus  because  of  His  dying  and  undying  love 
seeks  to  make  men  acquainted  with  the  fact  which 
He  sees  so  plainly,  and  they  do  not. 

Now  turn  for  a  moment  to  a  second  statement. 
You  will  find  it  in  Galatians,  third  chapter,  tenth 
verse.  Paul  is  quoting  from  the  book  of  Deuter- 
onomy these  words:  "Cursed" — there  is  another 
ugly  word — "cursed  is  everyone  who  continueth  not 
in  all  the  words  of  the  book  of  this  law  to  do  them." 
Let  me  ask:  Does  that  describe  your  friends?  Well, 
I  guess  it  describes  us  all,  does  it  not?  Who  is 
there  here  that  has  continued  in  all  the  words  of  the 
book  of  this  law  to  do  them?  If  there  is  some  one 
I  think  perhaps  you  would  better  withdraw,  for  I 
have  no  message  for  you  to-night.  The  sole  differ- 
ence between  some  of  us,  and  these  friends  you  have 
in  your  mind  is  that  we  are  depending  upon  Another 
who  bore  the  curse  for  us.  But  these  friends  de- 
cline to  come  into  personal  touch  with  Him.  Do 
they  not?  And  this  honest  spoken  book  of  God 
tells  us  plainly  of  that  word  "cursed"  which  has 
been  written,  and  remains  written,  over  their  faces 
and  lives. 

The  Bible  is  full  of  such  statements.  There  is  no 
need  of  multiplying  them.  And  I  am  sure  I  have 


66  The  Channel  of  Power. 

no  heart  in  repeating  any  more  of  them.  But  I 
bring  you  these  two  for  a  purpose.  This  purpose: 
of  asking  you  one  question — whose  fault  is  it?  Who 
is  to  blame?  Some  one  is  at  fault.  There  is  blame 
somewhere.  This  thing  is  all  wrong.  It  is  no  part 
of  God's  plan,  and  when  things  go  wrong,  some  one 
is  to  blame.  Now  I  ask  you:  Who  is  to  blame? 

A  Mot  her- Heart. 

Well,  there  are  just  four  persons,  or  groups  of 
persons  concerned.  There  is  God;  and  Satan;  and 
these  friends  we  are  talking  about;  and,  ourselves, 
who  are  not  a  bit  better  in  ourselves  than  they — not 
a  bit — but  who  are  trusting  some  One  else  to  see  us 
through.  Somewhere  within  the  lines  of  those  four 
we  must  find  the  blame  of  this  awful  state  of  affairs. 
Well,  we  can  say  very  promptly  that  Satan  is  to 
blame.  He  is  at  the  bottom  of  it  all.  And  that 
certainly  is  true,  though  it  is  not  all  of  the  truth. 
Then  it  can  be  added,  and  added  in  a  softer  voice 
because  the  thing  is  so  serious,  and  these  friends  are 
dear  to  us,  that  these  people  themselves  are  to 
blame.  And  that  is  true,  too.  Because  they  choose 
to  remain  out  of  touch  with  Him  who  died  that  it 
might  not  be  so.  For  there  is  no  sin  charged  where 
there  is  no  choice  made.  Sin  follows  choice.  Only 
where  one  has  known  the  wrong  and  has  chosen  it  is 
there  sin  charged. 

But  that  this  awful  condition  goes  on  unchanged, 


The  Channel  of  Power.  67 

that  those  two  ugly  words  remain  true  of  our  dear 
friends,  day  after  day,  while  we  meet  them,  and  live 
with  them,  is  there  still  blame?  There  are  just  two 
left  out  of  the  four:  God,  and  ourselves  who  trust 
Him.  Let  me  ask  very  reverently,  but  very  plainly: 
Is  it  God's  fault?  You  and  I  have  both  heard  such 
a  thing  hinted  at,  and  sometimes  openly  said.  I 
believe  it  is  a  good  thing  with  reverence  to  ask,  and 
attempt  to  find  the  answer,  to  such  a  question  as 
that.  And  for  answer  let  me  first  bring  to  you  a 
picture  of  the  God  of  the  Old  Testament  whom 
some  people  think  of  as  being  just,  but  severe  and 
stern. 

Away  back  in  the  earliest  time,  in  the  first  book, 
Genesis,  the  sixth  chapter,  and  down  in  verses  five 
and  six  are  these  words:  "And  the  Lord  saw  that 
the  wickedness  of  man  was  great  in  the  earth,  and" 
• — listen  to  these  words — "that  every  imagination  of 
the  thoughts  of  his  heau  was  only  evil  continually." 

What  an  arraignment!  "Every  imagination," 
*'evil,"  "only  evil;"  no  mixture  of  good  at  all; 
"only  evil  continually,"  no  occasional  spurts  of  good 
even — the  whole  fabric  bad,  and  bad  clear  through, 
and  all  the  time.  Is  not  that  a  terrific  arraignment? 
But  listen  further:  "And  it  repented  the  Lord  that 
He  had  made  man  on  the  earth,  and" — listen  to 
these  last  pathetic  words — "it  grieved  Him  at  His 
heart." 

Will  you  please  remember  that  "grieve"  is  always 
a  love  word?  There  can  be  no  grief  except  where 


68  The  Channel  of  Power. 

there  is  love.  You  may  annoy  a  neighbor,  or  vex  a 
partner,  or  anger  an  acquaintance,  but  you  cannot 
grieve  except  where  there  is  love,  and  you  cannot  be 
grieved  except  wherein  you  love. 

I  have  sometimes,  more  often  than  I  could  wish, 
seen  a  case  like  this.  A  young  man  of  good  family 
sent  away  to  college.  He  gets  in  with  the  wrong 
crowd,  for  they  are  not  all  angels  in  colleges  yet, 
quite.  Gets  to  smoking  and  drinking  and  gambling, 
improper  hours,  bad  companions,  and  all  that.  His 
real  friends  try  to  advise  him,  but  without  effect. 
By  and  by  the  college  authorities  remonstrate  with 
him,  and  he  tries  to  improve,  but  without  much 
success  after  the  first  pull.  And  after  a  while,  very 
reluctantly,  he  is  suspended,  and  sent  home  in  dis- 
grace. He  feels  very  bad,  and  makes  good  resolu- 
tions and  earnest  promises,  and  when  he  returns  he 
does  do  much  better  for  a  tune.  But  it  does  not 
last  long.  Soon  he  is  in  with  the  old  crowd  again, 
the  old  round  of  habits  and  dissipations,  only  now  it 
gets  worse  than  before;  the  pace  is  faster.  And 
the  upshot  of  it  all  is  that  he  is  called  up  before  the 
authorities  and  expelled,  sent  home  in  utter  disgrace, 
not  to  return. 

And  here  is  his  chum  who  roomed  with  him,  ate 
with  him,  lived  with  him.  He  says,  "Well,  I  de- 
clare, I  am  all  broken  up  over  Jim.  It's  too  bad! 
He  was  "hail-fellow,  well  met, "  and  now  he  has  gone 
like  that.  I'm  awfully  sorry.  It's  too  bad!  too 
bad!!"  And  by  and  by  he  forgets  about  it  except 


The  Channel  of  Power.  69 

as  an  unpleasant  memory  roused  up  now  and  then. 
And  here  is  one  of  his  professors  who  knew  him 
best  perhaps,  and  liked  him.  "Well,"  he  says,  "it 
is  too  bad  about  young  Collins.  Strange,  too,  he 
came  of  good  family;  good  blood  in  his  veins;  and 
yet  he  seems  to  have  gone  right  down  with  the  rag- 
tag. It's  too  bad!  too  bad!!  I  am  so  sorry."  And 
the  matter  passes  from  his  mind  in  the  press  of 
duties  and  is  remembered  only  occasionally  as  one 
of  the  disagreeable  things  to  be  regretted,  and  per- 
haps philosophized  over. 

And  there  is  the  boy's  father's  partner,  down  in 
the  home  town.  "Well,"  he  soliloquizes,  "it  is  too 
bad  about  Collins'  boy.  He  is  all  broken  up  over 
it,  and  no  wonder.  Doesn't  it  seem  queer?  That 
boy  has  as  good  blood  as  there  is:  good  father, 
lovely  mother,  and  yet  gone  clean  to  the  bad,  and  so 
young.  It  is  too  bad!  I  am  awfully  sorry  for 
Collins."  And  in  the  busy  round  of  life  he  forgets, 
save  as  a  bad  dream  which  will  come  back  now  and 
then. 

But  down  in  that  boy's  home  there  is  a  woman — 
a  mother,  heart-broken — secretly  bleeding  her  heart 
out  through  her  eyes.  She  goes  quietly,  faithfully 
about  her  round  of  life,  but  her  hair  gets  thinner, 
and  the  gray  streaks  it  plainer,  her  form  bends  over 
more,  and  the  lines  become  more  deeply  bitten  in 
her  face,  as  the  days  come  and  go.  And  if  you 
talk  with  her,  and  she  will  talk  with  you,  she  will 
say,  "Oh,  yes,  I  know  other  mothers'  boys  go 


7O  The  Channel  of  Power. 

wrong;  some  of  them  going  wrong  all  the  time;  but 
to  think  of  my  Jim — that  I've  nursed,  and  loved  so, 
and  done  everything  for — to  think  that  my  Jim — " 
and  her  voice  chokes  in  her  throat,  and  she  refuses 
to  be  comfortea.  She  grieves  at  her  heart.  Ah !  that 
is  the  picture  of  God  in  that  Genesis  chapter.  He 
saw  that  the  world  He  had  made  and  lavished  all  the 
wealth  of  His  love  upon  had  gone  wrong,  and  it 
grieved  Him  at  His  heart. 

This  world  is  God's  prodigal  son,  and  He  is 
heartbroken  over  it.  And  what  has  He  done  about 
it.  Ah!  what  has  He  done!  Turn  to  Mark's 
twelfth  chapter,  and  see  there  Jesus'  own  picture  of 
His  Father  as  He  knew  Him.  In  the  form  of  a 
parable  He  tells  how  His  Father  felt  about  things 
here.  He  sent  man  after  man  to  try  and  win  us 
back,  but  without  effect,  except  that  things  got  worse. 
Then  Jesus  represents  God  talking  with  Himself. 
"What  shall  I  do  next,  to  win  them  back? — there  is 
My  son — My  only  boy — Jesus — I  believe — yes,  I  be- 
lieve I'll  send  Him — then  they'll  see  how  badly  I  feel, 
and  how  much  I  love  them;  that'll  touch  them  surely; 
I'll  do  it."  You  remember  just  how  that  sixth  verse 
goes,  "He  had  yet  one,  a  beloved  Son;  He  sent 
Him  last  unto  them,  saying,  they  will  reverence  my 
Son."  And  you  know  how  they  treated  God's  Son, 
His  love  gift.  And  I  want  to  remind  you  to-night 
that,  speaking  in  our  human  way — the  only  way  we 
can  speak — God  suffered  more  in  seeing  His  Son 
suffer  than  though  He  might  have  suffered  Himself. 


The  Channel  of  Power.  71 

Ask  any  mother  here:  Would  you  not  gladly  suffer 
pain  in  place  of  your  child  suffering  if  you  could? 
And  every  mother-heart  answers  quickly,  "Aye,  ten 
times  over,  if  the  child  could  be  spared  pain." 
Where  did  you  get  that  marvelous  mother-heart  and 
mother-love?  Ah,  that  mother-heart  is  a  bit  of  the 
God-heart  transferred.  That  is  what  God  is  like. 
Let  me  repeat  very  reverently  that  God  suffered 
more  in  giving  His  Son  to  suffer  than  though  He 
had  Himself  suffered.  And  that  is  the  God  of  the 
Old  Testament !  Let  me  ask:  Is  He  to  blame?  Has 
He  not  done  His  best? 

Let  it  be  said  as  softly  as  you  will,  and  yet  very 
plainly,  that  those  awful  words,  "damned"  and 
"cursed,"  whatever  their  meaning  may  be,  are  true 
of  your  friends.  Then  add:  It  is  not  so  because  of 
God's  will  in  the  matter,  but  in  spite  of  His  will. 
Remember  that  God  exhausted  all  the  wealth  of  His 
resource  when  He  gave  His  Son.  There  can  come 
nothing  more  after  that. 

Your  Personality  Needed. 

Then  there  is  a  second  question  from  God's  side 
to  ask  about  those  ugly  words:  thoughtfully,  and 
yet  plainly — Is  it  the  fault  of  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God? 
And  let  anyone  here  listen  to  Him  speaking  in  that 
tenth  chapter  of  John.  "I  lay  down  My  life  for  the 
sheep.  No  man  taketh  it  from  Me.  I  lay  it  down 
of  Myself.  I  have  power  to  lay  it  down  and  power 


72  The  Channel  of  Power. 

to  take  it  again."  And  then  go  out  yonder  to  that 
scene  just  outside  the  Jerusalem  wall.  There  hangs 
Jesus  upon  that  cross,  suspended  by  nails  through 
hands  and  feet.  He  is  only  thirty-three.  He  is 
intensely  human.  Life  was  just  as  sweet  to  Him 
that  day  as  it  is  to  you  and  me  to-night.  Aye,  more 
sweet:  for  sin  had  not  taken  the  edge  off  his  relish  of 
life.  Plainly  He  could  have  prevented  them.  For 
many  a  time  had  He  held  the  murderous  mob  in 
check  by  the  sheer  power  of  His  presence  alone. 
Yet  there  He  hangs  from  nine  until  noon  and  until 
three — six  long  hours.  And  He  said  He  did  it  for 
you,  for  me.  Do  not  ask  me  to  tell  how  His  dying 
for  us  saves.  I  do  not  know.  No  one  statement 
seems  to  tell  all  the  truth.  When  I  study  into  it  I 
always  get  clear  beyond  my  depth.  In  a  tremen- 
dous way  it  tells  a  double  story;  of  the  damnable 
blackness  of  sin;  and  of  the  intensity  of  love.  I  do 
know  that  He  said  He  did  it  for  us,  and  for  our 
salvation,  and  that  it  had  to  be  done.  But  as  we 
look  to-day  on  that  scene,  again  the  question:  does 
any  of  the  blame  of  the  awful  statements  this  book 
makes  regarding  your  friends  belong  to  Him,  do  you 
think?  And  I  think  I  hear  your  hearts  say  "surely 
not." 

Well,  the  Father  has  done  His  best.  No  blame 
surely  attaches  there.  The  Son  has  gone  to  the 
utmost  limit.  No  fault  can  be  found  there.  There 
is  just  one  other  left  up  yonder,  of  the  divine  part- 
nership—the Holy  Spirit.  What  about  Him. 


The  Channel  of  Power.  73 

Listen.  Just  as  soon  as  the  Son  went  back  home 
with  face  and  form  all  scarred  from  His  brief  stay 
upon  the  earth,  He  and  the  Father  said,  "now  We 
will  send  down  the  last  one  of  Us,  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  He  will  do  His  best  to  woo  men  back, ' '  and  so 
it  was  done.  The  last  supreme  effort  to  win  men 
back  was  begun.  The  Holy  Spirit  came  down  for 
the  specific  purpose  of  telling  the  world  about  Jesus. 
His  work  down  here  is  to  convict  men  of  their  ter- 
rible wrong  in  rejecting  Jesus,  and  of  His  righteous- 
ness, and  of  the  judgment  passed  upon  Satan.  Only 
He  can  convince  men's  minds  and  consciences.  A 
thousand  preachers  with  the  logic  of  a  Paul  and  the 
eloquence  of  an  Isaiah  could  not  convince  one  man 
of  sin.  Only  the  Spirit  can  do  that.  But  listen  to 
me  as  I  say  very  thoughtfully — and  this  is  the  one 
truth  I  pray  God  to  burn  into  our  hearts  to-night — 
that  to  do  His  work  among  men  He  needs  to  use  men. 
He  needs  you.  "Oh!"  you  say,  "it  is  hardly  pos- 
sible that  you  mean  that:  I  am  not  a  minister:  I 
have  no  special  ability  for  Christian  work:  I  am  just 
an  obscure,  humble  Christian:  I  have  no  gift  in  that 
direction."  Listen  with  your  heart  while  I  remind 
you  that  He  needs  not  your  special  abilities  or  gifts, 
though  He  will  use  all  you  have,  and  the  more  the 
better,  but  He  needs  your  personality  as  a  human 
channel  through  which  to  touch  the  men  you  touch. 
And  I  want  to  say  just  as  kindly  and  tenderly  as  I 
can  and  yet  with  great  plainness  that  if  you  are 
refusing  to  let  Him  use  you  as  He  chooses — shall  I 


74  The  Channel  of  Power. 

say  the  unpleasant  truth? — the  practical  blame  for 
those  ugly  words,  and  the  uglier  truth  back  of  them 
come  straight  home  to  you. 

That  is  a  very  serious  thing  to  say,  and  so  I  must 
add  a  few  words  to  make  it  still  more  clear  and 
plain.  The  Spirit  of  God  in  working  among  men 
seeks  embodiment  in  men,  through  whom  He  acts. 
The  amazing  truth  is  that  not  only  is  He  willing  to 
enter  into  and  fill  you  with  His  very  presence,  but 
He  seeks  for,  He  wants,  yes,  He  needs  your  person- 
ality as  a  channel  or  medium,  that  living  in  you  He 
may  be  able  to  do  His  work  among  the  men  you 
touch  even  though  you  may  not  be  conscious  of 
much  that  He  is  doing  through  you.  Is  not  that 
startling?  He  wants  to  live  in  your  body,  and  speak 
through  your  lips,  and  look  out  of  your  eyes,  and 
use  your  hands,  really,  actually.  Have  you  turned 
your  personality  over  to  Him  as  completely  as  that? 

Remember  the  law  of  God's  communication  with 
men;  namely,  He  speaks  to  men  through  men.  Run 
carefully  through  the  Bible,  and  you  will  find  that 
since  the  Cain  disaster,  which  divided  all  men  into 
two  great  groups,  whenever  God  has  a  message 
for  a  man  or  a  nation  out  in  the  world  He  chooses 
and  uses  a  man  in  touch  with  Himself  as  His  mes- 
senger. 

Listen  to  Jesus'  own  words  in  that  last  night's 
long  talk  in  John's  Gospel,  chapter  fourteen,  verse 
seventeen.  Speaking  about  the  coming  Spirit,  He 
says,  "Whom  the  world  cannot  receive."  That  is 


The  Channel  of  Power.  75 

a  strange  statement.  Though  an  important  part  of 
the  Spirit's  great  mission  is  to  the  world  yet  it  can- 
not receive  Him.  But  chapter  sixteen,  verses  seven 
and  eight  gives  the  explanation:  "I  will  send  Him 
unto  you,  and  He  when  He  is  come  (unto  you)  will 
convince, ' '  and  so  on.  That  is  to  say,  a  message 
from  God  to  one  who  has  come  within  the  circle  of 
personal  relation  with  Jesus — that  message  comes 
along  a  straight  line  without  break  or  crook.  But  a 
message  to  one  who  remains  outside  that  circle 
comes  along  an  angled  line — two  lines  meeting  at  an 
angle — and  the  point  of  that  angle  is  in  some  Chris- 
tian heart.  The  message  He  sends  out  to  the  outer 
circle  passes  through  some  one  within  the  inner 
circle.  To  make  it  direct  and  personal:  He  needs 
to  use  you  to  touch  those  whom  you  touch. 

God's  Sub-Headquarters. 

Let  me  bring  you  a  few  illustrations  of  how  God 
uses  men,  though  the  fact  of  His  using  them  is  on 
almost  every  page  of  this  Bible.  Back  in  the  old 
book  of  Judges  is  a  peculiar  expression  which  is  not 
brought  out  as  clearly  as  it  might  be  in  our  English 
Bibles.  The  sixth  chapter  and  thirty- fourth  verse 
might  properly  read:  "the  Spirit  of  Jehovah  clothed 
Himself  with  Gideon."  It  was  a  time  of  desperate 
crisis  in  the  nation.  God  chose  this  man  for  leader- 
ship among  his  fellows.  If  you  take  his  life  through- 
out you  will  not  think  him  an  ideal  character.  But 


76  The  Channel  of  Power. 

he  seems  to  be  the  best  available  stuff  there  was. 
He  became  the  general  guiding  an  army  in  what,  to 
human  eyes,  was  a  perfectly  hopeless  struggle.  Men 
saw  Gideon  moving  about  giving  orders.  But  this 
strangely  significant  phrase  lets  us  into  the  secret  of 
his  wise  strategy  and  splendid  victory.  "The  Spirit 
of  Jehovah  clothed  Himself  with  Gideon. ' '  Gideon's 
personality  was  merely  a  suit  of  clothes  which  God 
wore  that  day  in  achieving  that  tremendous  victory 
for  His  people.  The  same  expression  is  used  of 
Amasai,  one  of  David's  mighty  chieftains,1  and 
of  Zechariah,  one  of  the  priests  during  Joash's 
reign.2 

A  New  Testament  illustration  is  found  in  the  book 
of  Acts  in  the  account  of  Philip  and  the  Ethiopian 
stranger.  This  devout  African  official  had  a  copy 
of  the  old  Hebrew  Scriptures,  but  needed  an  inter- 
preter to  make  plain  their  newly  acquired  signifi- 
cance. The  Holy  Spirit,  the  interpreter  of  Scrip- 
ture, longs  to  help  him.  For  that  purpose  He  seeks 
out  a  man,  of  whom  He  has  control,  named  Philip. 
He  is  directed  to  go  some  distance  over  toward  the 
road  where  this  man  is  journeying.  We  are  told  of 
Philip  that  he  was  "full  of  the  Spirit."  And  a 
reading  of  that  eighth  chapter  makes  plain  the  con- 
trolling presence  of  the  Spirit  in  Philip's  personality. 
In  the  beginning  He  gives  very  explicit  direction. 
"The  Spirit  (within  Philip)  said,  go  near,  join  thy- 

1  i  Chron.  xii:  18. 
*2  Cbron.  xxiv:  20. 


The  Channel  of  Power.  77 

self  to  this  chariot."     And  at  the  close  "the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  caught  away  Philip." 

These  are  a  few  illustrations  of  what  seems  to  be 
a  common  law  of  God's  intercourse  with  men.  The 
language  of  the  Bible  throughout  fits  in  with  this 
same  conception.  Strikingly  enough  the  same 
seems  to  be  true  in  the  opposing  camp,  among  the 
forces  of  the  Evil  One.  Repeatedly  in  the  gospels 
we  come  across  the  startling  expressions — "possessed 
with  demons,"  "possessed  of  demons,"  evidently 
speaking  of  men  whom  demons  had  succeeded  in 
getting  possession  of,  and  clothing  themselves  with. 
It  seems  to  be  a  law  of  spirit  life  that  a  spirit  needs 
to  be  embodied  in  dealing  with  embodied  beings. " 
And  God  conforms  to  this  law  in  His  dealings  with 
men. 

My  friend,  will  you  ask  your  heart,  has  the  Holy 
Spirit  gotten  possession  of  you  like  that?  With 
reverence  I  repeat  that  He  is  seeking  for  men  in 
whom  He  may  set  up  a  sort  of  sub-headquarters, 
from  which  He  may  work  out  as  He  pleases.  Has 
He  been  able  to  do  that  with  you?  Or,  have  you 
been  holding  back  from  Him,  fearing  He  might 
make  some  changes  in  you  or  your  plans?  If  that 
is  so,  may  I  say  just  as  kindly  as  these  lips  can 
speak  it,  but  also  as  plainly,  that  then  the  practical 
blame  for  those  cutting  words  about  your  friends 
comes  straight  back  to  you. 

Hugh  McAllister  Beavsr,  son  of  the  former  gov- 
ernor of  Pennsylvania,  and  one  of  the  rarest  chris- 


78  The  Channel  of  Power. 

tian  young  men  that  ever  lived,  felt  impelled  at  a 
conference  of  students  at  Northfield,  in  '97,  to  tell 
this  bit  of  his  inner  experience,  though  naturally 
reluctant  to  do  so.  While  at  college,  arrangements 
were  made  for  a  series  of  meetings  every  night  for  a 
week.  "One  day  Agoing  down  the  hallway  of  the 
college  building,"  he  said,  "I  met  a  boy  we  all 
called  Dutchy,  one  of  the  toughest  fellows  in  school. 
I  said  to  him, 'Dutch,  come  to  the  meeting  to-night.'" 
Instead  of  laughing  or  swearing,  to  Beaver's  sur- 
prise, he  paused  a  moment  as  though  such  a  thing 
was  possible,  and  Beaver  said,  "I  prayed  quietly  to 
myself,  and  urged  him  to  come."  And  he  said, 
"Well,  I  guess  I  will."  And  that  night  to  every 
one's  surprise  Dutch  came  to  the  meeting.  When 
Beaver  rose  to  speak,  to  his  surprise  this  fellow  was 
not  simply  intensely  interested  but  his  eyes  were  full 
of  tears.  And  Beaver  said  '1a  voice  as  distinct  as 
an  audible  voice  said  to  me,  'Speak  to  Dutchy!' 
But  I  did  not."  Again  the  next  night  Dutchy 
came  of  his  own  accord,  and  one  of  the  boys  put- 
ting his  arm  on  Beaver's  shoulder  said,  "Speak  to 
Dutchy.  We  boys  never  saw  him  like  this  before." 
And  he  said  he  would.  But  he  did  not.  And  some 
time  after  he  had  a  dream  and  thought  he  would 
not  walk  this  earth  any  more.  It  did  not  trouble 
him  except  that  his  brother  was  crying.  But  he 
thought  he  met  the  Master,  who  looked  into  his 
face,  and  said,  "Hugh,  do  you  remember,  I  asked 
you  to  speak  to  Dutchy?"  "Yes."  "And  you 


The  Channel  of  Power.  79 

did  not."  "No."  "Would  you  like  to  go  back 
to  the  earth  and  win  him?"  And  he  finished  the 
story  by  saying,  "it's  hard  work,  but  he's  coming 
now. ' ' 

I  wonder  if  the  Master  has  ever  tried  to  use  your 
lips  like  that,  and  you  have  refused? 

A  prominent  clergyman  in  New  England  tells  this 
experience  of  his.  In  the  course  of  his  pastoral 
work  he  was  called  to  conduct  the  funeral  service  of 
a  young  woman  who  had  died  quite  unexpectedly. 
As  he  entered  the  house  he  met  the  minister  in 
charge  of  the  mission  church,  where  the  family 
attended,  and  asked  him,  "Was  Mary  a  Christian?" 
To  his  surprise  a  pained  look  came  into  the  young 
man's  face  as  he  replied,  "Three  weeks  ago  I  had 
a  strong  impulse  to  speak  to  her,  but  /  did  not;  and 
I  do  not  know.'*  A-  moment  later  he  met  the  girl's 
Sunday  school  teacher  and  asked  her  the  same 
question.  Quickly  the  tears  came,  as  she  said, 
"Two  weeks  ago,  Doctor,  a  voice  seemed  to  say  to 
me,  'Speak  to  Mary,'  and  I  knew  what  it  meant, 
and  I  intended  to,  but  /  did  not,  and  I  do  not 
know."  Deeply  moved  by  these  unexpected  an- 
swers, a  few  minutes  later  he  met  the  girl's  mother, 
and  thinking  doubtless  to  give  her  an  opportunity  to 
speak  a  word  that  would  bring  comfort  to  her  own 
heart,  he  said  quietly,  "Mary  was  a  Christian  girl?" 
The  tears  came  quick  and  hot  to  the  mother's  eyes, 
as  she  sobbed  out,  "One  week  ago  a  voice  came  to 
me  saying,  'Speak  to  Mary,'  and  I  thought  of  it. 


8o  The  Channel  of  Power. 

but  I  did  not  at  the  time,  and  you  know  how  unex- 
pectedly she  went  away  and  I  do  not  know." 

Well,  please  understand  me,  I  am  not  saying  a 
word  about  that  girl.  I  do  not  know  anything  to 
say.  I  would  hope  much  and  can  understand  that 
there  is  ground  for  hope.  But  this  is  what  I  say: 
How  pathetic,  beyond  expression,  that  the  Spirit 
tried  to  get  the  use  of  the  lips  of  three  persons,  a 
pastor,  a  teacher,  aye,  a  mother!  to  speak  the  word 
that  evidently  He  longed  to  have  spoken  to  her,  and 
He  could  not! 

Has  He  tried  to  use  you  like  that? 

The  Highest  Law  of  Action. 

But  these  two  illustrations  are  narrower  than  the 
truth.  They  speak  of  the  lips.  He  wants  to  use 
your  lips;  but,  even  more,  He  wants  to  use  your 
life.  Much  as  He  may  use  your  lips,  He  will  use 
your  personality,  your  presence,  your  life  ten  times 
more,  when  you  are  wholly  unconscious  of  it.  He 
loves  men  so  much.  He  longs  to  save  them.  But 
He  needs  us — you  and  me — as  channels  through 
which  His  power  shall  flow  to  touch  and  mightily 
influence  those  whom  we  touch.  How  often  has 
He  turned  away  disappointed  because  the  channel 
had  broken  connections,  or  could  not  be  used? 

"He  was  not  willing  that  any  should  perish; 

Jesus,  enthroned  in  the  glory  above, 
Saw  our  poor  fallen  world,  pitied  our  sorrows, 
Poured  out  His  life  for  us,  wonderful  love. 


The  Channel  of  Power.  81 

Perishing,  perishing,  thronging  our  pathway, 
Hearts  break  with  burdens  too  heavy  to  bear; 

Jesus  would  save,  but  there's  no  one  to  tell  them, 
No  one  to  save  them  from  sin  and  despair." 

Someone  says:  "You  are  putting  an  awful  re- 
sponsibility upon  us.  Would  you  have  us  go  out 
and  begin  speaking  to  everyone  we  meet?"  No, 
that  is  not  what  I  am  saying  just  now.  Though 
there  is  a  truth  there.  But  this:  Surrender  your- 
self to  Jesus  as  your  Master,  for  Him  to  take  pos- 
session. Turn  the  channel  over  to  Him,  that  He 
may  tighten  the  connections,  upward  and  outward, 
and  clean  it  out,  and  then  use  as  He  may  choose. 
He  has  a  passion  for  winning  men,  and  He  has  mar- 
velous tact  in  doing  it.  Let  Him  have  His  way  in 
you.  Keep  quiet  and  close  to  Him,  and  obey  Him, 
gladly,  cheerily,  constantly,  and  He  will  assume  all 
responsibility  for  the  results. 

There  is  a  law  of  personal  service.  It  is  this: 
Contact  means  opportunity;  opportunity  means 
responsibility.  To  come  into  personal  contact  with 
a  man  gives  an  opportunity  of  influencing  him  for 
Christ,  and  with  opportunity  goes  its  twin  partner — 
responsibility. 

There  is  another  law — a  higher  law — the  highest 
law  of  the  Christian  life.  It  is  this:  In  everything 
hold  yourself  subject  to  the  Holy  Spirit's  leading. 
Whenever  these  two  laws  come  into  conflict  remem- 
ber that  the  lower  law  always  yields  to  the  higher. 
It  is  a  law  of  life  that  where  two  laws  come  into 


82  The  Channel  of  Power. 

conflict  the  lower  law  always  gives  way  to  the  higher. 
That  is  a  supreme  law  both  of  nature  and  in  legis- 
lation. Now,  the  highest  law  of  the  Christian  life 
is  to  yield  constantly  to  the  leading  of  our  Compan- 
ion— the  Holy  Spirit.  Then  quiet  time  alone  with 
the  Master  daily  over  His  word  for  the  training  of 
the  ear,  and  the  training  of  the  judgment,  and  the 
training  of  the  tongue  becomes  the  great  essential. 
But  to-night  the  great  question  is:  Have  you 
turned  the  channel  of  power — your  personality — 
over  to  Him  to  be  flushed  and  flooded  with  His 
power?  Will  you? 

"Only  a  smile,  yes,  only  a  smile, 

That  a  woman  o'erburdened  with  grief 
Expected  from  you;  'twould  have  given  relief, 

For  her  heart  ached  sore  the  while. 

But,  weary  and  cheerless,  she  went  away, 
Because,  as  it  happened  that  very  day, 

You  were  out  of  touch  with  your  Lord. 

"Only  a  word,  yes,  only  a  word, 

That  the  Spirit's  small  voice  whispered,  'Speak'; 

But  the  worker  passed  onward,  unblessed  and  weak, 
Whom  you  were  meant  to  have  stirred 

To  courage,  devotion  and  love  anew, 

Because,  when  the  message  came  to  you, 
You  were  out  of  touch  with  your  Lord. 

"Only  a  note,  yes,  only  a  note, 

To  a  friend  in  a  distant  land  ; 

The  Spirit  said,  'Write,'  but  then  you  had  planned 
Some  different  work,  and  you  thought 

It  mattered  little.     You  did  not  know 

'Twould  have  saved  a  soul  from  sin  and  woe — 
You  were  out  of  touch  with  your  Lord. 


The  Channel  of  Power.  83 

'Only  a  song,  yes,  only  a  song, 

That  the  Spirit  said,  'Sing  to-night; 

Thy  voice  is  thy  Master's  by  purchased  right.' 
But  you  thought,  '  'Mid  this  motley  throng, 

I  care  not  to  sing  of  the  City  of  God'  ; 

And  the  heart  that  your  words  might  have  reached 

grew  cold — 
You  were  out  of  touch  with  your  Lord. 

'Only  a  day,  yes,  only  a  day, 

But  oh!  can  you  guess,  my  friend, 

Where  the  influence  reaches  and  where  it  will  end 
Of  the  hours  that  you  frittered  away? 

The  Master's  command  is,  'Abide  in  Me'; 

And  fruitless  and  vain  will  your  service  b« 
If  out  of  touch  with  your  Lord." 


THE  PRICE  OF  POWER. 


THE  PRICE  OF  POWER. 


The  Law  of  Exchange. 

Every  man  needs  power.  Every  earnest  man 
covets  power.  Every  willing  man  has  the  Master's 
promise  of  power.  But  every  man  does  not  possess 
the  promised  power.  And  many,  it  is  to  be  feared, 
never  will.  Many  a  man's  life  to-day  is  utterly 
lacking  in  power.  Some  of  us  will  look  back  at  the 
close  of  life  with  a  sense  of  keen  disappointment  and 
of  bitter  defeat.  And  the  reason  is  not  far  to  seek, 
nor  hard  to  see  through.  If  we  do  not  have  power 
it  is  because  we  are  not  willing  to  pay  the  price. 

Everything  costs.  There  is  a  law  of  exchange 
that  rules  in  every  sphere  of  life.  It  is  this,  "to  get, 
you  must  give."  It  rules  in  the  business  world.  If 
I  want  a  house  or  a  hat  I  must  give  the  sum  agreed 
upon.  It  rules  in  the  intellectual  world.  If  a  young 
man  wants  a  disciplined  mind  he  must  give  time, 
and  close  application,  and  some  real,  hard  work.  It 
holds  true  in  the  spirit  realm.  If  you  and  I  wish  to 
have  business  transactions  in  this  upper  world  of 
spirit-life  we  must  be  governed  by  this  same  law. 
To  have  power  in  our  lives  over  sin  and  selfishness, 
and  passion,  and  appetite ;  over  tongue,  and  temper, 
and  self-seeking  ambition;  to  have  power  in  prayer, 
87 


88  The  Price  of  Power. 

and  in  winning  others  over  from  sin  to  Jesus  Christ, 
one  must  first  lay  down  the  required  price. 

What  is  the  price  of  power?  Turn  to  Jesus'  talk 
with  Peter  and  the  others  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
sixteenth  chapter  of  Matthew's  gospel.  Jesus  has 
been  telling  them  of  the  awful  cross-experiences 
which  He  clearly  saw  ahead.  Peter  probably  fear- 
ful that  whatever  came  to  his  Master  might  possibly 
come  to  himself  also,  and  shrinking  back  in  horror 
from  that,  has  the  hardihood  to  rebuke  Jesus.  The 
Master,  recognizing  the  suggestion  as  coming  from  a 
far  subtler  individual  than  Peter,  who  is  using  igno- 
rant Peter's  selfishness  to  repeat  the  suggestion  of  the 
wilderness,  again  bids  him  begone.  Then  in  a  few 
simple  words  of  far-reaching  significance,  He  states 
first  the  standard  of  power,  and  then  the  price  to  be 
paid  by  one  who  would  reach  that  standard.  Listen 
to  Him:  "If  any  man  would  come  after  Me,  let  him 
deny  himself  and  take  up  his  cross  and  follow  Me." 

In  the  Footprints  of  Jesus. 

Let  us  look  a  little  into  these  familiar  words.  "If 
any  man  would,  come  after  Me" — that  is  the  standard 
set  before  us.  Not  to  be  regarded  as  a  pillar  in  the 
church,  a  leader  in  religious  circles,  a  good  Bible 
student,  a  generous  giver,  an  earnest  speaker,  an 
energetic  worker,  a  spiritually  minded  person,  but, 
what  may  not  be  coupled  with  any  or  all  of  these 
admirable  things,  to  tread  in  the  footprints  of  Jesus. 


The  Price  of  Power.  89 

Think  back  into  that  marvelous  life.  A  human 
life,  remember.  For  though  He  was  Son  of  God 
He  lived  His  life  down  here  as  a  son  of  man. 
Think  of  His  power  over  temptation,  not  alone  at 
the  outset  in  the  fierce  wilderness  struggle,  but 
through  those  succeeding  years  of  intense  conflict; 
His  power  over  Satan,  over  man-possessing  demons, 
over  disease;  His  power  in  dealing  with  the  subtle 
schoolmen  trying  their  best  to  trip  Him  up,  as  well 
as  over  His  more  violent  enemies  who  would  have 
dashed  Him  over  yon  Nazareth  precipice,  or  later 
stoned  the  life  out  of  His  body  in  Jerusalem.  Recall 
the  power  of  His  rare  unselfishness;  His  combined 
plainness  and  tenderness  of  speech  in  dealing  with 
men;  His  unfailing  love  to  all  classes;  His  power 
as  a  soul  winner,  as  a  man  of  prayer,  as  a  popular 
preacher,  lovingly  wooing  men  while  unsparingly 
rebuking  their  sins.  There  is  the  suggestion  of  Jesus' 
standard  of  power.  Would  you  go  after  Him? 
You  may.  For  as  the  Father  sent  Him  even  so 
sends  He  us,  to  do  the  same  work  and  live  the  same 
life. 

But  wait  a  moment  before  answering  that  ques- 
tion. There  is  another  side  in  His  life  to  that 
"come-after-me."  Opposites  brought  into  contact 
produce  a  violent  disturbance.  Such  a  life  as  that 
of  Jesus,  down  in  the  atmosphere  of  this  world  will 
of  necessity  provoke  bitter  enmities,  both  then  and 
now.  Listen.  He  was  criticized  and  slandered. 
They  said  He  was  peculiar  and  fanatical.  His 


90  The  Price  of  Power. 

friends  thougnt  Him  "beside  Himself,"  swept  off 
His  feet  by  excessive,  hot-headed  enthusiasm. 
They  "laughed  Him  to  scorn,"  and  reviled  Him. 
They  picked  His  words,  and  nagged  His  kindliest 
acts,  and  dogged  His  steps.  Repeated  attempts 
were  made  upon  His  life,  both  at  Nazareth  and  by 
stoning  at  Jerusalem.  A  determined  conspiracy 
against  His  life  was  planned  by  the  Jerusalem  offi- 
cials six  months  before  the  end  actually  came.  He 
was  practically  a  fugitive  for  those  months.  At 
the  last  He  was  arrested  and  mocked  and  spit  upon, 
struck  with  open  hand  and  clenched  fist,  derisively 
crowned  with  thorns,  and  finally  killed — a  cruel, 
lingering,  tortured  death. 

"If  any  man  would  come  after  Me."  Plainly  this 
language  of  Jesus  put  back  into  its  original  setting 
begins  to  assume  a  new  significance. 

A  Fixed  Purpose. 

But  look  at  these  words  a  little  more  closely. 
"//" — it  is  an  open  question,  this  matter  of  follow- 
ing Jesus.  It  is  kept  open  by  many  people  who 
want  to  be  known  as  Christian,  but  who  hesitate 
over  what  a  plain  understanding  of  Jesus'  words 
may  involve.  Some  of  us  may  be  disposed  to  shrink 
back  from  the  simple  meaning  these  words  will  yet 
disclose. 

"If  any  man  would" — would  is  the  past  tense  of 
will.  The  word  will  is  one  of  the  strongest  in  our 


The  Price  of  Power.  91 

language.  A  man's  will  is  the  imperial  part  of  him. 
It  is  the  autocrat  upon  the  throne;  the  judge  upon 
the  bench  of  final  appeal.  Jesus  is  getting  down  to 
the  root  of  matters  here.  He  is  appealing  to  the 
highest  authority.  No  mere  passing  sentiment  is 
this.  Not  attending  a  meeting  and  being  swept 
along  with  the  crowd  by  the  hour's  influence.  But 
a  fixed  purpose^  calmly,  resolutely  settled  upon, 
rooted  away  down  deep  in  the  very  vitals  of  the  will 
to  follow  Jesus  absolutely,  no  matter  what  it  may 
cost  or  where  it  may  cut. 

I  wonder  how  many  of  us  would  form  such  a  pur- 
pose, to  follow  Jesus  blindly,  utterly  regardless  of 
what  it  might  be  found  to  mean  as  the  days  come 
and  go?  "Oh,  well,"  I  hear  some  one  say,  "why 
talk  like  that.  Nobody  is  required  to  suffer  to-day 
as  He  did."  Do  you  think  not?  I  am  not  so  sure 
about  that.  There  is  a  young  man  in  Southern 
India,  bright  fellow,  full  of  power,  of  high  class 
family,  who  heard  of  Jesus,  and  felt  the  personal 
appeal  to  himself  of  that  marvelous  story.  He 
thought  a  good  while  of  what  it  meant,  and  what  it 
might  involve,  and  at  length  resolutely  formed  his 
decision  to  accept  and  follow  Jesus.  As  he  had 
anticipated,  his  dear  ones  remonstrated  with  him, 
coaxed,  pleaded,  threatened,  and  finally,  his  own 
father  violently  put  him  out  of  his  life-long  home, 
and  he  has  remained  since  an  outcast  from  home  and 
loved  ones.  These  words  of  Jesus  surely  are  full  of 
significance  to  him. 


92  The  Price  of  Power. 

"But  that  was  in  India,  far  off,  heathen  India," 
you  say.  Well,  here  is  something  of  a  similar  sort 
at  home.  I  knew  a  young  woman  in  a  certain  New 
England  town  visiting  away  from  home.  She 
attended  some  meetings  where  she  was  visiting,  and 
decided  to  be  a  Christian.  She  was  betrothed  to  a 
young  man,  not  a  Christian,  in  her  home  town.  At 
once  she  wrote  him  explaining  her  new  step  think- 
ing, doubtless  how  glad  he  would  be.  For  most  men 
seem  very  willing  to  have  their  wives  Christian. 
But  he  wrote  back  that  if  she  were  determined  to  be 
a  Christian  that  must  put  an  end  to  their  engage- 
ment. He  was  not  a  Christian  and  did  not  want 
his  wife  to  be  one.  Every  one  here  must  know  how 
serious  a  question  that  brought  up  for  decision. 
For  she  was  a  true  woman,  and  love's  tendrils  twine 
with  wondrous  tenacity  about  a  woman's  heart. 
And  I  presume,  too,  that  everyone  of  you  has 
already  thought  while  I  am  speaking,  of  the  tempta- 
tion that,  quick  as  a  flash,  went  through  her  mind. 
"You  need  not  make  a  public  matter  of  this.  Just 
be  a  true  Christian  in  heart  and  life,  and  in  that  way 
you'll  win  him  over  afterwards."  I  imagine  some  of 
you  have  heard  something  like  that  before.  But  she 
remembered  that  her  new  Master  said  "Confess"  as 
well  as  "believe."  It  was  a  crisis;  a  severe  strug- 
gle of  soul.  But  she  felt  she  must  follow  her  Mas- 
ter's leading  regardless  of  what  it  involved.  And  so 
she  decided.  You  are  not  surprised  to  know  that 
she  was  ill  for  a  time.  The  intense  strain  of  spirit 


The  Price  of  Power.  93 

affected  her  body.  "If — any — man — would — come 
— after — Me"  meant  much  to  her.  Did  it  not? 

Without  doubt  if  some  of  us  listening  to-day  were 
to  follow  Jesus  quietly,  but  absolutely,  in  all  things 
as  His  own  Spirit  plainly  led,  we  would  find  as  sharp 
a  line  of  separation  drawn  against  us,  as  did  He  in 
Palestine,  and  these  young  people  in  India  and 
America. 

Many  a  social  door  would  be  shut  in  our  faces. 
O,  shut  politely  of  course !  Society  thinks  it  ii^Very 
bad  form  to  get  unduly  excited  about  mere  matters 
of  religious  opinion.  But  the  door  is  shut,  and 
barred,  too.  Some  of  us  would  possibly  be  search- 
ing for  other  business  positions  before  to-morrow's 
light  faded  away  if  we  were  determined  to  go  only 
where  He  clearly  pointed  the  way. 

But  we  have  only  begun  to  get  at  the  meaning  of 
Jesus'  words.  Is  there  still  a  fixed  purpose  to  follow 
regardless  of  what  meaning  these  words  may  yet 
disclose?  Not  impossibly  the  company  of  those 
willing  to  go  straight  through  this  verse  with  a  calm, 
determined  "yes"  to  every  word  of  Jesus,  will  grow 
smaller  as  we  go  on. 

A  Character  Sketch. 

Let  us  go  a  little  farther.  "If  any  man  would 
come  after  Me  let  him  deny  himself."  "Deny  him- 
self"— what  does  that  mean?  Well,  deny  means  to 
say  "no,"  plainly  and  positively.  Himself  is  the 


94  The  Price  of  Power. 

smoother  English  word  for  his  self.  Let  him  say 
"no"  to  his  self.  Please  notice  that  Jesus  is  not 
speaking  of  what  is  commonly  called  self-denial. 
That  is,  repressing  some  desire  for  a  time,  sacrificing 
something  temporarily  in  order  to  gain  an  advantage 
later.  That  sort  of  thing  is  not  peculiar  to  the 
Christian  life,  but  is  practiced  by  all  classes,  even 
among  the  lowest.  He  is  not  speaking  of  that,  but 
of  something  far  more  radical.  Reading  the  verse 
through  again,  it  will  be  seen  that  there  are  three 
distinct  persons  referred  to  by  Jesus.  First,  the 
"any  man"  He  speaks  of,  and  then  the  two  others 
represented  by  these  words  "himself"  and  "Me, " 
either  one  or  the  other  of  whom  is  influencing  this 
"any  man's"  life.  "Say  no  to  his  self"  is  coupled 
with  "follow  Me."  And  the  opposite  is  implied — 
if  any  man  will  not  do  as  I  desire,  he  will  continue 
to  do  as  he  is  now  doing,  namely,  deny  Me  and  fol- 
low his  self. 

These  two  persons  self  and  Jesus  are  placed 
here  in  sharpest  contrast.  An  uncompromising 
antagonism  exists  between  them.  They  are  sworn 
foes,  and  every  man  must  decide  to  which  he  will 
yield  his  allegiance.  To  agree  with  either  one  is  to 
oppose  the  other  one.  For  a  man  to  settle  some 
matter  that  comes  up  for  decision  by  saying  "yes"  to 
the  desires  or  demands  of  his  self  involves  his  saying 
"no"  to  Jesus.  And  on  the  other  hand  his  yielding 
assent  to  the  plans  and  wishes  of  this  "me,"  namely 
Jesus,  is  plainly  equivalent  to  saying  "no"  to  his  self. 


The  Price  of  Power.  95 

What  is  this  self  in  each  of  us  that  Jesus  sets  in 
such  antagonism  to  Himself,  and  instructs  us  to  say 
a  hard,  uncompromising,  unceasing  "no"  to?  There 
are  a  few  words  in  common  use  that  give  some  sug- 
gestion of  its  character.  There  is  the  word  selfish, 
that  is,  being  absorbed  in  one's  own  self;  in  getting 
every  stream  to  flow  by  his  own  door.  That  is 
commonly  regarded,  even  in  absolutely  worldly 
circles,  as  a  detestable  trait.  Its  opposite,  self-for- 
getful, being  full  of  forgetting  one's  self  in  thinking 
of  others,  is  as  commonly  regarded  in  all  circles  as  a 
charming,  winsome  trait  of  character.  The  words 
self-centered,  and  self-willed,  are  as  familiar  and  sug- 
gestive. 

The  fact  is,  there  is  an  individual  living  inside 
each  one  of  us  whom  Jesus  refers  to,  by  this  word 
' ' his  self. ' '  This  individual  takes  on  the  degree  of  in- 
tensity and  other  local  coloring  of  the  person  it  in- 
habits. It  may  be  polished,  scholarly,  cultured;  or, 
coarse,  ignorant  and  ill-mannered.  But  "scratch 
a  Russian  and  you  find  a  Tartar. ' '  Scratch  through 
the  veneering  here  and,  whether  coarse  or  highly 
polished,  you  will  find  the  same  individual — self. 

There  are  some  quite  marked  characteristics  by 
which  its  presence  may  be  recognized.  They  may 
not  all  be  noticeable  together  in  any  one  person. 
But  one  or  more  will  be  found  in  every  person  whom 
it  succeeds  in  influencing  and  dominating.  One 
characteristic  is  this:  it  covets  praise.  It  feeds  and 
fattens  on  commendation.  It  constantly  seeks  to  be 


96  The  Price  of  Power. 

highly  esteemed,  to  have  its  worth  properly  ap- 
praised. It  is  immensely  impressed  with  its  own 
importance,  its  value  to  society,  its  keenness,  wis- 
dom or  aptness,  and  wishes  others  to  be  so  im- 
pressed also.  It  is  fond  of  a  mirror,  especially  one 
:  made  to  magnify.  It  seeks  recognition.  It  presses 
forward,  rudely  or  politely,  according  as  its  habitat 
has  been  trained  in  rude  or  polite  circles.  It  may 
put  on  the  garb  of  humility,  and  use  the  language  of 
depreciation.  But  its  ear  is  none  the  less  keenly 
alert  to  hear  the  agreeable  things  and  to  cherish 
them. 

Another  characteristic,  which  really  is  simply  the 
other  side  of  this  first  named  one,  is  this:  it  shrinks 
from  criticism.  How  it  writhes  and  twists  at  the 
least  touch  of  unfavorable  criticism!  It  is  always 
on  the  defensive.  The  cheek  colors  at  the  sugges- 
tion of  its  being  wrong,  or  having  blundered,  or  of 
being  peculiar. 

How  quickly  it  explains  and  defends  and  brings 
evidence  of  its  being  in  the  right.  It  is  extremely 
sensitive.  "It  is  that  touchy  thing  in  you."  It  is 
chronically  troubled  with  "the  disease  of  touchiness." 
Its  feelings  are  readily  hurt.  It  is  easily  slighted. 
It  remembers  grievances.  It  has  an  interrogation 
point  constantly  on  sentinel  duty,  namely,  What  will 
they  think?  What  will  they  say?  It  lives  in  con- 
stant fear,  under  the  lash  of  that  huge,  vague,  awful 
they. 

I  remember  knowing  a  Sunday  school  teacher  who 


The  Price  of  Power.  97 

had  a  mission  class  of  rather  rough  boys  from  non- 
christian  homes.  I  asked  one  day  how  she  was 
getting  along  with  them.  "Going  to  give  them 
up,"  she  replied.  "Is  that  so?  They  have  all 
become  Christians?"  No,  none  of  them  were  Chris- 
tians, and  they  liked  her,  and  said  they  would  not 
come  if  she  gave  them  up,  but  she  felt  discouraged, 
and  anyway  she  had  decided  to  give  them  up.  Law- 
yers and  women  do  not  always  give  their  reasons, 
very  wisely.  I  ventured  to  suggest  that  before  giv- 
ing them  up,  she  have  the  boys  come  up  to  her 
home,  one  at  a  time,  perhaps  for  tea;  have  a  pleas- 
ant chatty  time  at  tea  and  afterwards,  and  then 
before  the  boy  left  have  a  quiet  friendly  talk  with 
him  by  himself  about  being  a  Christian,  and,  a  few 
words  of  prayer  with  him.  Wouldn't  she  try  that 
before  giving  them  up?  And  I  remember  distinctly 
that  her  face  blushed  as  red  as  a  bright  red  rose,  as 
she  replied,  "Why,  Mr.  Gordon,  he'd  laugh  at  me!" 
And  she  could  not  bear  the  possible  chance  of  being 
laughed  at  for  the  other  more  likely  possibility  of 
winning  a  soul — a  man — a  life.  That  was  "self" 
in  her,  shrinking  back  from  a  laugh;  dreading  that 
look  of  possibly  contemptuous  surprise  that  might 
come. 

Another  person,  speaking  about  certain  recrea- 
tions very  common  in  society,  and  which  he  was  in 
the  habit  of  joining,  though  freely  questioning  the 
propriety  of  so  doing,  said,  "O,  I  don't  care  much 
for  those  things.  I  could  easily  give  them  up,  but 


98  The  Price  of  Power. 

people  think  you  are  so  queer  if  you  decline,  and 
you  feel  as  if  you  were  a  back  number."  Ah! 
there  was  the  rub.  The  desire  to  be  thought  well 
of;  the  dislike  of  being  considered  peculiar;  the  fear 
of  that  thinly  veiled  sneering  curl  on  the  lip — that 
was  self  in  him  asserting  its  presence,  and  even 
more,  ruling  his  action.  Do  you  recognize  the  in- 
dividual  inside  of  you  that  Jesus  is  speaking  of? 

There  is  a  third  tell-tale  ear-mark  of  self  that  is 
difficult  to  conceal — it  is  assertive.  It  dearly  loves  to 
have  its  own  way.  It  has  plans  and  ambitions,  and 
proposes  to  carry  them  through  regardless  of  man, 
or — let  the  plain  truth  be  spoken  softly — of  God. 
Its  opinions  are  held  tenaciously.  Its  favorite  pro- 
noun is  I,  capitalized,  with  variations  of  my  and  me. 
The  personal  equation  is  extremely  powerful  and 
persuasive. 

The  true  follower  of  Jesus  holds  every  plan  sub- 
ject to  change  from  above.  But  this  self,  if  allowed 
to  rule,  takes  the  bit  in  its  tightly-shut  teeth,  and 
drives  determinedly  ahead,  reckless  of  either  man's 
or  God's  preferences,  even  though  religious  phra- 
seology may  be  upon  its  tongue. 

Still  another  trait  of  character  of  this  self  whose 
closer  acquaintance  we  are  making  is  this :  //  has  an 
insatiable  appetite.  It  grows  hungrier  by  that  on 
which  it  feeds.  Its  capacity  is  beyond  the  measur- 
ing line.  If  given  free  rein  it  will  debase  the  holiest 
functions  of  the  body,  and  degrade  the  highest  pow- 
ers of  the  mind  to  appease  its  gnawing,  passion- 


The  Price  of  Power.  99 

bitten  hunger.  The  noblest  gifts,  the  purest  emo- 
tions, the  most  sacred  relationships,  are  dragged 
down  to  the  slimy  gutter  to  tempt  and  temporarily 
stay  its  jaded  palate. 

Unmasked. 

Thai  is  something  of  a  suggestion  of  the  character 
of  this  other  master  than  Jesus,  who  seeks  to  get 
control  of  us,  and  from  whose  relentless,  vise-like 
grip  Jesus  would  fain  free  us.  He  says  there  is 
only  one  thing  to  do  with  it.  No  half-way  com- 
promise— the  great  American  expedient — will  do 
here.  The  Master  says  plainly  it  is  to  be  denied, 
repressed,  put  determinedly  down,  starved,  stran- 
gled. To  every  suggestion  or  demand  there  is  to  be 
a  prompt,  positive,  jaw-locked  no. 

There  is  war  to  the  knife,  and  the  knife  clear  up 
to  the  hilt,  between  these  two  claimants  for  the  con- 
trol of  our  powers — self  and  Jesus.  Paul  understood 
this  antagonism  thoroughly.  It  comes  out  repeat- 
edly in  his  writings.  His  name  for  this  inner  enemy, 
by  an  accidental  turn  in  English,  is  Jesus'  word 
"self"  spelled  backwards  with  the  letter  "h"  added 
— f-1-e-s-h.  His  remarks  in  Romans,  eighth  chap- 
ter, verses  four  to  eight,  and  twelve  to  thirteen,  are 
simply  an  enlargement  of  these  words  in  the  six- 
teenth of  Matthew's  gospel.  If  one  will  read  these 
verses,  substituting  Jesus'  word  "self"  for  Paul's 
word  he  will  be  surprised  to  find  how  strikingly  Paul  is 


ioo  The  Price  of  Power. 

expressing  this  very  thought  of  Jesus.  A  free  trans- 
lation of  part  of  these  verses  would  read  like  this: 
Verse  five — "They  that  choose  to  walk  after  self  (as 
a  slave  walked  after,  or  behind,  his  master)  will 
show  their  choice  by  obeying  the  desires  of  self,  and 
they  that  choose  to  walk  after  the  Spirit  will  obey 
the  desires  of  the  Spirit."  Verse  seven — "For  the 
purposes  of  self  are  opposed  to  God's  purposes;  for 
it  does  not  hold  itself  subject  to  God's  wishes;  in- 
deed, in  its  very  nature  it  cannot;  and  they  that 
choose  to  obey  self  cannot  please  God."  Verse 
thirteen — "If  by  the  Holy  Spirit's  aid  ye  kill  off  the 
plans  and  doings  of  self,  ye  shall  therein  find  real 
true  life,  and  only  so." 

Plainly,  the  deep  searching  experiences  of  Paul's 
great  soul,  and  his  wide  observation  of  others,  in 
his  ceaseless  travels,  confirm  the  statements  already 
made,  that  there  is  the  intensest  hatred,  the  bitter- 
est antagonism,  between  these  two  personalities 
represented  by  Jesus' words,  "himself"  and  "me." 
There  can  be  no  patched-up  truce  here.  The  only 
way  the  lion  and  the  lamb  can  lie  down  together  in 
this  case  is  for  the  one  to  lie  down  underneath  the 
other — conquered;  or  inside  the  other — devoured. 

In  his  other  letters  Paul  sometimes  uses  still 
another  name,  "the  old  man,"  and  names  the  char- 
acteristics of  this  omnipresent  self,  which  crop  out 
with  varying  degrees  of  prominence,  in  different 
persons,  and  under  different  circumstances.  Notice 
only  a  few  of  these:  In  Galatians,  fifth  chapter, 


The  Price  of  Power.  101 

nineteenth  verse:  "The  deeds  of  self  are  .... 
improper  sexual  intercourse,  impurity,  shameless 
looseness  .  .  .  .  '  It  will,  wherever  possible, 
debase  the  holiest  functions  of  the  body.  In  Colos- 
sians,  third  chapter,  fifth  verse,  speaking  of  the 
"old  man" :  "And  covetousness,  which  is  reckoning 
of  highest  worth  that  which  is  less  worthy  than 
God."  That  is  to  say,  the  ambitious  longings  of 
self,  will  if  unchecked  become  the  ruling  passion, 
thrusting  all  else  ruthlessly  aside  and  degrading  the 
highest  powers  of  the  mind  to  satisfying  its  feverish 
desire.  In  Ephesians,  fourth  chapter,  thirty-first 
verse:  "Bitterness,  passion,  anger,  loud  disputing, 
evil-speaking  ....  malice."  Its  assertiveness, 
and  demand  for  a  due  recognition  of  its  worth,  its 
rights,  its  opinions,  its  proper  place,  bring  bitterest 
burnings,  and  worse.  It  will  not  be  needful  to  re- 
view congressional,  and  political,  and  society  life  for 
illustrations.  They  may  be  found  much  nearer 
one's  own  door. 

Was  there  ever  such  a  list?  Such  a  being  whose 
heart  begets  and  nurses  such  progeny!  This  being 
has  the  smell  of  hell,  and  of  the  evil  one  himself. 
Ah!  now  we  are  getting  at  the  straight  truth.  Self 
is  Satan's  personal  representative  in  every  human 
heart.  Its  door  of  entrance  is  the  door  of  disobedi- 
ence. It  can  have  control  only  where  one  allows 
himself  to  get  out  of  intelligent  sympathy  with  God. 
The  self  in  Peter  was  recoiling  from  that  cross  of 
which  Jesus  spoke.  How  keen  Jesus  was  in  recog- 


IO2  The  Price  of  Power. 

nizing  the  suggestor  of  the  thought  that  found 
expression  through  Peter's  lips — "Get  thee  behind 
me,  Satan"  Self  is  Satan,  condensed  into  each 
man's  life,  though  in  some  he  dare  not  exhibit  his 
coarser  traits;  and  in  others  he  is  being  constantly 
conquered  by  that  power  of  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  which 
comes  through  absolute,  glad  surrender  to  Him. 

This  sly  Satan-self  may  often  be  recognized  by  a 
favorite  question  it  asks  among  Christian  people 
about  a  great  many  so-called  unimportant  matters: 
— What's  the  harm?  But  a  true  follower  of  Jesus 
never  lives  down  upon  the  plane  of  "what's-the- 
harm?"  He  lives  up  in  a  higher  sphere  with  his 
Master,  who  "pleased  not  Himself,"  but  made  it 
the  steady,  unfaltering  aim  of  His  life  to  do  always 
those  things  that  were  pleasing  to  His  Father.  Men 
thought  Him  narrow  and  fanatical,  but  He  cared 
not  so  long  as  He  could  daily  hear  that  clear,  sweet 
voice  saying  "This  is  My  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I 
am  well  pleased."  The  final  touchstone  which  the 
follower  of  Jesus  applies  to  every  matter  is  this: 
Would  it  please  Him? 

Let  everyone  here  who  earnestly  desires  to  fit 
into,  and  to  fill  out,  Jesus'  plan  for  his  life,  take 
paper  and  pencil  and  make  a  list  of  his  personal 
habits;  such  as  his  eating,  what  he  eats  and  how; 
his  drinking,  other  things  he  puts  into  his  mouth, 
his  dress,  the  use  and  care  of  his  body,  his  recrea- 
tions, his  reading,  his  conversation,  his  use  of 
money,  his  use  of  time,  his  life  plans  and  his  daily 


The  Price  of  Power.  103 

J*ans,  his  social  engagements;  and  regarding  each 
ask  plainly  the  question — what  is  the  motive  that 
conhols  me  in  this?  Is  it  my  own  preference  or  en- 
joymmt?  Or,  is  it  to  please  and  honor  Jesus?  Let 
him  further  go  through  the  list  of  his  business 
methods,  his  friendships,  the  various  organizations 
he  belongs  to,  with  the  same  question.  If  he  will 
do  thorough  work  he  will  probably  have  some  stiff 
fighting  on  hand  both  at  the  start  and  afterwards. 
Many  a  life  would  thereby  be  radically  changed. 
For  example,  I  know  a  Christian  storekeeper  who 
has  on  his  shehes  a  certain  article  bearing  the  label 
of  a  tonic  medicine,  but  he  knows  perfectly  well, 
as  does  anyone  who  stops  to  think  about  it,  that  the 
stuff  back  of  the  label  is  one  form  of  an  intoxicant. 
There  can  be  no  question  of  what  the  Master  would 
say  about  it.  But  it  brings  a  good  profit.  And  his 
money-fevered  self  asserts  its  mastery  and  carries 
the  day.  And  the  man  tightly  grips  the  profits, 
while  Satan  chuckles  with  unholy  glee,  and  souls  are 
being  damned  by  this  Christian  man's  aid.  Cer- 
tainly there  can  be  none  of  the  power  of  God  in 
such  a  life.  Let  us  rather  speak  the  truth  and  say 
that  this  man  is  exerting  a  positive  power  for  Satan 
and  for  hell. 

All  this  is  included  in  these  few  simple  words, 
"let  him  deny  himself."  Is  there  still  a  fixed  pur- 
pose to  follow  Jesus  without  regard  to  what  it  may 
cost  us,  or  where  the  keen  edge  of  separation  may 
cut  in? 


IO4  The  Price  of  Power. 

The  Battle  of  the  Forks. 

Here  is  a  forking  of  the  road.  I  bring  this  vhole 
company  up  to  this  dividing,  and  therefore  deeding, 
point.  Let  each  choose  his  own  road  deliberately, 
prayerfully,  with  open  eyes.  This  road  to  the  left 
has  as  its  law,  yielding  to  self;  saying  "yes"  to  the 
desires  and  demands  of  self;  with  some  modifica- 
tions possibly,  here  and  there,  for  I  arc  talking  to 
professing  Christian  people.  Yes  to  Jesus  some- 
times, but  at  other  times,  when  it  suit?  circumstances 
and  inclinations  better  to  do  otherwise — well,  a 
pushing  of  the  troublesome  question  aside.  And 
that  means  a  decided  yes  to  self,  with  as  positive  a 
negative  to  Jesus'  desires  implied  thereby.  That  is 
the  left-hand  fork. 

This  right-hand  road  knows  only  one  law  to  which 
exception  is  never  made,  namely:  Yes  to  Jesus, 
everywhere,  always,  regardless  of  consequences, 
though  it  may  entail  loss  of  friendships,  or  money, 
or  position,  or  social  standing,  or  personal  prefer- 
ence, or  radical  change  of  plans,  or,  what  not. 

Judas  assented  to  the  cravings  of  his  ambitious 
self  and  said  "no"  to  his  Master,  thinking  possibly, 
with  his  worldly  shrewdness,  thereby  to  force  Jesus 
to  assert  His  power.  He  little  knew  what  a  time  of 
crisis  it  was,  and  what  terrific  results  would  follow. 

Peter  stood  on  the  side  of  his  cowardly,  shrinking 
self  in  the  court-yard  that  dark  night,  and  against 
his  Master.  And  though  with  matchless  love  he 


The  Price  of  Power.  105 

was  forgiven,  he  never  forgave  himself,  nor  was  able 
to  get  that  night's  doings  out  of  his  memory.  Judas 
and  Peter  were  brothers  in  action  that  night,  and 
there  are  evidences  that  many  other  disciples  are 
standing  over  in  the  same  group.  Are  you? 
Which  road  do  you  choose  to-night:  this — to  the 
left?  Or,  this — to  the  right? 

I  knew  a  young  man  who  was  deeply  attached  to 
an  admirable  young  woman,  both  refined  Christian 
persons,  much  above  the  average  in  native  ability, 
and  in  culture.  He  made  known  to  her  his  feelings. 
But  as  many  a  woman  who  does  not  trust  her  best 
Friend  in  such  matters  is  apt  to  do  she  held  him  off, 
testing  him  repeatedly,  to  find  out  just  how  real  his 
attachment  was.  Finally  revealing  indirectly  her 
own  feeling  she  still  withheld  the  consent  he  pleaded 
for,  until  he  would  yield  acquiescence  in  a  certain 
plan  of  hers  for  him.  The  plan,  proper  enough  in 
itself,  was  an  ambitious  one,  and  tended  decidedly 
toward  swinging  him  away  from  the  high,  tenderly 
spiritual  ideals  that  had  swayed  his  life  in  college 
and  afterwards,  though  he  probably  was  not  clearly 
conscious  of  this  tendency.  The  only  safe  thing  to 
do  under  such  strong  circumstances  was  to  take 
time,  aside,  alone,  for  calm,  poised,  thought  and 
prayer,  to  learn  if  her  plan  was  also  the  Master's 
plan  for  him.  But  the  personal  element  proved  too 
strong  for  such  deliberation.  The  possibility  of 
losing  her  swung  him  off  of  his  feet.  It  was  no 
longer  a  question  between  her  plan  and  the  Master's 


io6  The  Price  of  Power. 

plan.  The  latter  dropped  out  of  view,  probably 
half-unconsciously  because  hurriedly.  He  must 
have  her,  he  thought.  That  rose  before  his  eyes 
above  all  else.  And  so  the  decision  was  made. 
With  what  result?  He  is  to-day  prominent  in 
Christian  service,  an  earnest  speaker,  a  tireless 
worker,  with  a  most  winsome  personality.  But  his 
inner  spiritual  life  has  perceptibly  dwarfed.  His 
ideals,  still  high  and  noble,  are  distinctly  lower  than 
in  his  earlier  life.  Intellectual  ideals,  admirable  in 
themselves,  but  belonging  in  second  place  in  a 
Christian  life,  now  command  the  field.  His  con- 
ceptions and  understanding  of  spiritual  truth  have 
undergone  a  decided  change. 

The  proposal  of  the  self -life  came  in  very  fasci- 
nating guise  to  him.  He  hastily  said  "yes"  to 
it:  that  meant  as  decided  a  refusal  of  Another's 
plan  for  him,  which  had  once  been  clearly  recog- 
nized, and  accepted,  but  was  now  set  aside,  be  it 
sadly  said,  as  he  swung  quickly  off  to  the  left  fork 
of  the  road. 

There  is  an  incident  told  of  a  European  pastor, 
an  earnest,  eloquent  man.  The  realization  came  in 
upon  him  that  he  had  not  been  fully  following  the 
Master.  In  much  of  his  life  self  was  still  ruling. 
He  came  to  this  forking  of  the  road,  and  the  battle 
was  a  fierce  one,  for  self  dies  hard.  But  finally  "by 
the  Spirit,"  he  got  the  victory,  as~ every  one  may, 
and  calmly  stepped  off  to  the  right.  He  has  vividly 
described  that  battle  of  the  forks  in  language,  the 


The  Price  of  Power.  107 

accuracy  of  which  will  be  recognized  by  others  who 
have  been  in  action  on  that  field. 

"Oh,  the  bitter  shame  and  sorrow, 

That  a  time  could  ever  be 
When  I  let  the  Saviour's  pity 
Plead  in  vain,  and  proudly  answered : 

'All  of  self,  and  none  of  Thee.' 

"Yet  He  found  me:  I  beheld  him 
Bleeding  on  the  accursed  tree; 
Heard  Him  pray,  'forgive  them,  Father,' 
And  my  wistful  heart  said  faintly : 
'Some  of  self  and  some  of  Thee.' 

"Day  by  day,  His  tender  mercy, 

Healing,  helping,  full  and  free, 
Sweet  and  strong,  and  oh,  so  patient, 
Brought  me  lower,  while  I  whispered: 

'Less  of  self  and  more  of  Thee.1 

"Higher  than  the  highest  heaven, 

Deeper  than  the  deepest  sea, 
Lord,  thy  love  at  last  has  conquered; 
Grant  me  now  my  soul's  desire, 

'None  of  self  and  all  of  Thee.'  " 

Is  there  still  a  fixed  purpose?  Will  you  take  this 
right  fork?  Let  those  who  will,  and  those  who 
linger  reluctantly  listen  to  the  further  word  that 
Jesus  adds:  "Let  him  deny  himself  and  take  up  his 
cross."  "Take  up  his  cross" — what  does  that 
mean?  The  cross  has  come  to  be  regarded  in  these 
days  as  a  fine  ornament.  It  looks  beautiful  bejew- 
eled;  on  the  end  of  a  sword;  or  worked  into  regalia. 


io8  The  Price  of  Power. 

It  makes  such  an  artistic  finish  to  a  church  building, 
finely  chiseled  in  stone,  or  enwreathed  with  ivy.  It 
looks  pretty  in  jewelry  and  flowers.  But  to  Jesus 
and  the  men  of  His  time  it  had  a  grim,  hard,  painful 
significance.  In  Roman  usage  a  man  condemned  to 
this  death  was  required  to  take  up  the  crude  wooden 
cross  provided,  carry  it  out  to  the  place  of  execu- 
tion, and  there  be  transfixed  upon  it.  Plainly  to 
these  men  listening,  Jesus'  words  meant:  Let  him 
say  "no"  to  his  self,  and  then  nail  it  up  on  the  cross 
and  leave  it  there  to  die. 

Paul  understood  this  thoroughly.  To  help  the 
young  Christians  in  Galatia  he  explains  his  own  ex- 
perience by  saying:  "I  have  been  crucified  with 
Christ;"  and  to  the  unknown  friends  in  Rome  he 
writes:  "if  ye  by  the  Spirit  put  to  death  the  doings 
of  the  self  life  ye  shall  live."  The  only  thing  to  do 
with  this  self  is  to  kill  it. 

In  Luke's  account  an  intensely  practical  word  is 
added  to  Jesus'  remark:  "Let  him  take  up  his 
cross  daily."  A  cat  is  said  to  have  nine  lives, 
because  it  is  so  hard  to  kill.  I  do  not  know  what 
your  experience  may  have  been,  but,  judged  by  this 
rule,  the  self  in  me  is  tougher-lived  than  that.  It 
has  about  ninety-nine,  or  nine  hundred  and  ninety- 
nine  lives.  I  put  it  on  the  cross  to-day  in  the  pur- 
pose of  my  will  by  the  power  of  the  Spirit,  and  I 
find  it  trying  to  sneak  down  and  step  into  active 
control  again  to-morrow  through  some  sly,  subtle 
suggestion  which  it  hopes  may  get  past  the  vigilance 


The  Price  of  Power.  109 

of  my  sentinel.  That  word  daily  becomes,  of 
necessity,  my  constant  keynote — a  daily  conflict, 
a  daily  sleepless  vigilance,  and,  thank  God,  a  daily 
victory. 

Every  man's  heart  is  a  battlefield.  If  self  has 
possession,  Jesus  is  lovingly  striving  to  get  posses- 
sion. If  possession  has  been  yielded  to  Jesus,  there 
is  a  constant  besieging  by  the  forces  of  self.  And 
self  is  a  skilled  strategist.  In  every  heart  there  is  a 
cross,  and  a  throne,  and  each  is  occupied.  If  Jesus 
is  on  the  throne,  ruling,  self  is  on  the  cross,  dying. 
But  if  self  is  being  obeyed,  and  so  is  ruling,  then  it 
is  on  the  throne.  And  self  on  the  throne  means 
that  Jesus  has  been  put  on  the  cross.  And  it  seems 
to  be  only  too  pathetically  true  that  not  only  in  New 
Testament  times,  but  in  these  times,  there  are  num- 
bers of  professing  Christians,  who,  in  the  practice 
of  daily  life,  are  crucifying  the  Son  of  God  afresh, 
and  openly  exposing  Him  to  shame  before  the  eyes 
of  the  crowd. 

Suppose  that  to-night  I  determine  to  make  this 
absolute  surrender  to  Jesus  as  my  Master.  To-mor- 
row in  some  matter,  possibly  a  small  matter — speak- 
ing a  word  to  some  one — asking  a  silent  blessing  at 
the  meal — making  a  change  in  some  personal  habit — 
or  some  other  apparently  trivial  matter — the  Spirit 
quietly  makes  clear  His  wish  as  to  what  I  should 
do.  But  I  hesitate:  it  seems  hard.  I  do  not  say 
that  I  will  not  obey,  but  actually  I  do  not.  Let  me 
plainly  understand  that  in  such  a  single  failure  to 


no  The  Price  of  Power. 

obey,  self  is  again  mounting  the  throne,  and  Jesus 
is  being  dethroned  and  put  over  yonder  on  the 
cross. 

Do  some  of  us  still  hesitate  at  this  forking  of  the 
roads,  irresolute?  A  crowned  Christ  is  attractive. 
But  self's  tendrils,  though  small,  are  tenaciously 
tough,  and  twine  into  so  many  corners  and  around 
some  hidden  things.  And  the  uprooting  and  out- 
cutting  mean  sharp  pain.  Is  that  so?  And  you 
hesitate?  Please  take  another  frank  look. 

Lock- Step. 

These  two  forks  differ  radically.  They  differ  in 
direction.  One  is  to  the  left;  the  other  to  the  right. 
And  these  two  words  are  significant  of  more  than 
direction.  They  differ  in  grade.  This  left-hand 
road  does  not  seem  to  have  any  grade.  It  is 
smooth  and  level,  and  straightaway,  apparently. 
But  a  keener  look  reveals  a  slant  down,  very  slight 
at  first,  but  steadily  increasing,  not  only  in  its  down- 
ward grade,  but  in  the  proportionate  grade  down. 

This  right-hand  road  has  a  decided  grade  up  from 
the  beginning,  a  steep  slant,  that  causes  many  to 
avoid  it,  though  they  feel  impelled  to  take  it. 
Those  who  take  it  say  that  after  the  first  decided 
step  into  it  the  slant  does  not  seem  nearly  so  hard 
as  before  starting,  and  that  climbing  it  makes  splen- 
did muscle  and  gives  an  inspiring  sense  of  exhilara- 
tion from  the  very  start.  The  atmosphere  is  rare 


The  Price  of  Power.  1 1 1 

and  purifying  and  invigorating.  It  is  not  traveled 
by  so  many,  though  the  number  keeps  increasing. 
But  such  rare  companionship,  hitherto  unknown, 
they  afford! 

The  striking  peculiarity  of  this  road,  however,  is 
his,  that  each  one  keeps  lock-step  with  a  certain 
One  who  leads  the  way.  This  One  is  remarkable  in 
appearance.  His  lace  combines  all  the  strength  and 
resolution  of  the  strongest  man's  with  all  the  fine- 
ness and  gentleness  of  the  finest  woman's.  But  He 
bears  peculiar  marks  as  though  He  had  been  through 
some  terrible  experience.  His  face  has  a  number  of 
small  scars  as  though  it  had  been  torn  by  thorns  and 
cut  by  thongs.  His  hands  and  feet  look  as  though 
huge  spikes  had  been  forced  through  them.  But 
the  glory-light  of  another  world  is  in  His  eyes,  and 
illumines  His  face  radiantly,  and  a  glad  ring  is  in 
His  low,  musical,  singularly  clear  voice. 

The  walking  in  step  with  Him  is  so  close  that  one 
can  feel  the  tender  throbbing  of  His  heart,  and  can 
talk  confidentially  with  Him  in  low,  quiet  tones, 
and  can  hear  distinctly  His  gentle  still-like  voice  in 
reply. 

As  one  steps  off  quietly,  determinedly  to  the  right 
from  the  battle  of  the  forks  he  hears  the  closing 
words  of  Jesus'  remarks  to  Peter — "and  follow  Me." 
Jesus  sends  no  one  ahead  alone.  He  blazes  out 
every  path  through  the  unknown,  unbroken  forest, 
and  asks  us  simply  to  come  along  after  Him.  He 
did  what  He  asks  us  to  do.  The  self-life  was 


1 1 2  The  Price  of  Power. 

alluringly  and  repeatedly  presented  to  Him  by 
Satan,  in  the  wilderness,  in  the  remark  of  Peter,  by 
the  visit  of  the  Greeks,  in  Gethsemane  where  the 
struggle  of  soul  almost  broke  the  tie  that  held  body 
and  spirit  together,  and  many  other  times.  In 
many  a  hard  battle — for  the  divine  Jesus  was  in- 
tensely human  in  His  earthly  life — He  repeatedly 
said  a  never-varying  "no"  to  the  self-life,  and  lived  a 
constant  victory  until  the  very  last  triumphant  shout 
of  victory  on  Calvary.  It  was  a  life  of  constant 
conflict,  but  of  splendid,  calming,  scarce-broken 
peace  within,  and  of  marvelous  power  without 

Earnestly,  lovingly,  gently,  yet  passionately,  He 
stands  just  ahead  in  that  path  now,  with  pierced 
hands  outstretched  in  open  invitation,  with  a  heart- 
yearning  in  the  depths  of  His  great  eyes,  wooing  us 
on  to  follow  where  He  goes  on  before. 

Let  us  follow.  It  may  be,  it  will  be,  in  some 
measure,  through  the  experiences  of  the  wilderness 
temptation,  and  of  Gethsemane,  and  of  Calvary,  but 
it  will  also  be  to  share  the  victory  which  was  always 
coupled  with  every  testing  He  met.  It  will  as  cer- 
tainly be  following  Him  in  power,  and  victory,  on 
past  Calvary  to  the  new  life  of  the  resurrection 
morning,  that  saw  the  greatest  display  of  power. 
And  even  past  that,  to  the  upper  chamber  where 
His  words  burn  their  way  into  our  hearts — "as  the 
Father  sent  Me  (clothed  with  power  unconquerable) 
even  so  send  I  you."  And  then  to  Olivet  where 
the  victorious  words  ring  out,  "All  power  hath  been 


The  Price  of  Power.  113 

given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  therefore  go 
ye  and  make  disciples." 

"//  any  man 

wottld  come  after  me, 

let  him  say  "no"  to  his  self, 

and  nail  it  to  the  cross  daily, 

and  I  allow  me." 

J«sus,  Master,  by  the  Holy  Spirit's  help,  I  will. 


THE  PERSONALITY  OF  POWER. 


THE  PERSONALITY  OF  POWER. 


A  Personally  Conducted  Journey. 

Everyone  enjoys  the  pleasure  of  travel;  but  nearly 
all  shrink  back  from  its  tiresomeness  and  drudgery. 
The  transportation  companies  are  constantly  schem- 
ing to  overcome  this  disagreeable  side  for  both 
pleasure  and  business  travel.  One  of  the  popular 
ways  of  pleasure  travel  of  late  is  by  means  of  per- 
sonally conducted  tours.  A  party  is  formed,  often 
by  the  railroad  company,  and  is  accompanied  by  a 
special  agent  to  attend  to  all  the  business  matters  of 
the  trip.  A  variation  of  this  is  to  arrange  for  a 
group  of  congenial  people  to  accompany  some  well- 
known  accomplished  gentleman.  This  gives  the 
trip,  not  alone  the  convenience  of  having  all  busi- 
ness matters  cared  for,  but  also  the  decided  enjoy- 
ment which  this  gentleman's  wide  knowledge  and 
experience,  and  personal  contact  incidentally  give. 
There  are  some  criticisms  however  of  such  parties, 
from  the  standpoint  of  greatest  comfort  and  of  free- 
dom in  moving  about. 

Probably  the  very  pleasantest  way — the  ideal  way, 
to  travel  anywhere,  either  in  our  own  home  land,  or 
abroad — is  to  form  a  party  of  only  a  very  few  per- 
sons, mutually  congenial,  and  personally  agreeable, 
117 


1 1 8          The  Personality  of  Power. 

one  of  whom  is  an  experienced  traveler,  to  whom 
checking  baggage,  buying  tickets,  studying  time- 
tables, planning  connections  and  all  the  rest  of  that 
sort  of  thing  which,  to  most,  is  disagreeable  drudg- 
ery, to  whom  all  that  is  mere  pleasant  detail;  and 
who  in  addition  knows  all  the  ground  you  will  cover, 
the  best  hotels,  the  inconveniences  to  avoid,  the 
desirable  places  and  things,  and  who  finds  rare  en- 
joyment in  making  the  trip  delightful  and  inspiring, 
and  restful  too,  to  these  dear  friends  of  his. 

For  instance  if  the  trip  is  a  foreign  one  begin- 
ning with  a  run  through  Great  Britain  it  would  add 
immensely  to  have  such  a  friend  in  London  who 
knew  that  great  whirling  world-metropolis,  as  you 
know  your  own  home.  After  a  bit  you  may  slip 
over  the  Channel  to  Holland.  It  is  only  a  few 
hours  away,  but  the  strange  language,  new  custom- 
house rules,  new  usages,  new  sights,  different  sort 
of  people,  all  make  it  a  totally  different  world.  A 
few  hours  will  bring  you  into  Sweden,  or  west  from 
the  hollow-landed  Dutch  to  the  higher-landed  Ger- 
mans, or  south  through  Belgium  into  sunny  France, 
and  so  on.  And  in  each  place  the  customs,  and 
language,  and  sights,  and  people,  the  food,  the 
sleeping  arrangements,  and  apparently  everything, 
especially  to  a  stranger,  are  totally  different.  It  is 
this  very  variety — the  constant  change  of  surround- 
ings— that  constitutes  much  of  the  charm  of  it  all. 
There  is  nothing  so  refreshing  and  invigorating  as 


The  Personality  of  Power.          119 

that.  But  on  the  other  hand  to  an  entire  stranger 
who  has  no  guide,  it  is  apt  to  be  confusing  and 
wearisome.  And  the  tiresome  side  often  overcomes 
the  pleasant  side.  Now  this  is  what  I  am  saying, 
that,  if  there  are  just  a  few  together,  and  this  ex- 
perienced traveler,  who  is  also  a  dear  friend,  is  one 
of  them,  the  trip  is  radically  changed.  You  move 
in  a  new  world.  He  can  talk  Dutch  in  Holland, 
and  German  in  Germany,  Swedish  in  Scandinavia, 
and  French  in  Switzerland.  He  sees  the  baggage 
past  the  customs  officials,  and  provides  restful  stop- 
ping places,  and  keeps  the  disagreeables  away  from 
you.  He  knows  the  places  to  visit,  and  is  familiar 
with  the  historic  occurrences,  and  is  a  quiet,  cheery 
companion,  and  if  with  it  all  he  has  an  unlimited 
letter-of-credit,  and  makes  you  feel  that  somehow 
you  are  favoring  him  by  letting  him  help  you  out 
when  you  run  short — that,  I  say,  would  be  the  ideal 
•way  of  traveling. 

Now  why  take  so  much  time  speaking  about  all 
that?  Listen!  I  will  tell  you  why.  Living  is  like 
traveling.  Life  is  a  journey.  It  is  a  trip  through 
a  strange  land  where  you  have  never  been  before, 
and  you  never  know  a  moment  ahead  where  you  are 
going  next.  Strange  languages,  strange  scenes, 
strange  dilemmas;  new  tangles,  new  experiences, 
and  some  old  ones  with  new  faces  so  you  do  not 
know  them.  It  is  just  as  chock-full  of  pleasure  and 
enjoyment  as  it  can  be,  if  you  could  only  make  some 


1 20          The  Personality  of  Power. 

provision  for  the  drudgery  and  hard  things  that  seem 
to  crowd  in  so  thick  and  fast  sometimes,  as  to  make 
people  forget  the  gladness  of  it. 

Now  I  have  something  to  tell  you  that  seems  too 
utterly  good  to  be  believed,  and  yet  keeps  getting 
better  all  the  way  along.  It  is  this:  the  Master  has 
planned  that  your  life  journey  shall  be  a  personally 
conducted  one  on  this  ideal  plan.  It  was  said  a 
night  or  two  ago  that  the  Master  has  thought  into 
your  life  and  made  arrangement  for  all  its  needs. 
Let  me  add  to-night  this  further  fact:  He  has 
arranged  with  His  best  friend,  who  is  an  experienced 
traveler,  to  go  with  you  and  devote  Himself  wholly  to 
your  interests. 

Some  of  you,  I  am  afraid,  will  smile,  and  think 
that  I  am  just  indulging  in  a  fancy  sketch — drawing 
on  my  imagination.  And  so  I  pray  our  Master  to 
burn  into  our  hearts  that  it  is  plain,  matter-of-fact 
truth,  for  every  day  life.  I  would  say  that  it  is  cold 
fact  were  it  not  that  such  a  fact  can  never  be  cold. 

Power  is  a  Person. 

Each  of  these  talks,  you  have  noticed,  has  led  up 
to  the  one  idea  of  surrender.  That  word  surrender 
stands  for  one  side  only  of  a  transaction — our  side. 
As  in  all  transactions,  there  is  another  side — His 
side  to  whom  the  surrender  is  made.  To-night  we 
want  to  take  a  step  in  advance  and  talk  about  the 
part  which  Jesus  has  in  this  surrender-transaction. 


The  Personality  of  Power.          121 

All  truth  goes  in  pairs.  The  partnership  word  with 
surrender  is  mastery.  Surrender  on  my  part  is  fol- 
lowed by  mastery  on  His  part.  There  are  two  per- 
sonalities in  this  transaction.  You  are  one:  an 
important  one,  but  only  one.  To-night  we  shall  try 
to  get  a  better  acquaintance  with  the  other  One. 
The  One  who  assumes  control  of  the  surrendered 
life,  who  is  to  be  our  personal  guide  and  friend. 

Will  you  recall  again  the  Master's  good-bye  Olivet 
message,  and  notice  just  what  it  means?  Listen  to 
the  very  words:  "Ye  shall  receive  power."  Let 
me  ask  you — what  is  power?  Will  some  one  give  a 
simple  definition  of  that  word?  There  are  four 
words,  four  of  the  commonest,  most  familiar  in  our 
language,  for  which  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  a 
definition.  If  some  one  here  can  help  me  I  will  be 
grateful.  They  are  the  words  life,  light,  love,  and 
power.  What  do  they  mean?  I  can  find  plenty  of 
statements  about  them,  descriptions  of  what  each  of 
these  is  like,  but  no  definitions. 

What  is  life?  Recently  I  looked  into  the  state- 
ment regarding  life  made  by  three  of  the  most 
famous  English  scientists  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
whose  names  are  household  words.  I  read  them 
carefully.  The  wisdom  and  keenness  of  observation 
they  show  are  amazing.  But  when  I  had  studied 
and  read  them  repeatedly  I  found  myself  asking — 
what  is  life?  They  have  described  rarely  the  func- 
tions and  characteristics  of  life,  but  have  not  told 
what  it  is.  They  do  not  seem  to  know.  Do  you? 


122          The  Personality  of  Power. 

What  is  light?  Will  some  one  tell  me?  The 
corpuscular  theory,  which  the  famous  Newton  advo- 
cated, is  long  since  abandoned.  The  later  wave 
theory  is  pretty  generally  accepted,  and  yet  they  can 
not  all  agree  upon  that.  These  people  say  that 
light  is  a  part  of  the  kind  of  energy  called  radiant 
energy.  Now,  we  all  know  what  light  is!  The 
sun  of  course  is  not  light,  only  a  light-holder  and 
distributer.  According  to  the  oldest  record  we  have 
of  the  creation,  light  existed  before  these  light-hold- 
ers, the  sun  and  moon  and  stars. 

What  is  love?  Well,  you  all  know,  I  hope.  Pity 
the  poor  man  who  does  not  know  by  experience 
what  love  is.  But  you  cannot  tell  what  it  is.  "Oh ! ' ' 
you  say,  "it  is  emotion."  Yes,  so  is  hate,  its  very 
opposite.  "Well,  love  is  affection."  Yes.  What 
is  affection?  "Well,  it  is  a  pleasurable  feeling,  or 
regard,  which  may  be  very  intense,  and  which  leads 
us  to  unlimited  sacrifice  if  need  be.  It  is  a  devotion 
that  grips  the  soul  tremendously."  That  is  true; 
yet  that  is  only  telling  what  love  is  like.  No  simple, 
plain  definition  of  love,  or  light  or  life  has  ever  been 
formed  yet  by  man  so  far  as  I  can  learn. 

What  is  power?  You  may  say  it  is  force.  And 
what  is  force?  "Well,  force  is  a  form  of  energy." 
What  is  energy?  "Well,"  you  reply,  "it  is  a  strong 
inward  movement  whose  strength  is  very  impres- 
sive." Some  one  says  "power  is  ability."  And 
ability?  "Well,  that  is  the  innate  power  to  do 
something."  And  so  we  get  to  use  our  word  in  the 


The  Personality  of  Power.          123 

attempted  definition  itself,  which  is  simply  talking 
in  a  circle.  We  can  find  good  descriptive  words, 
but  no  defining  words. 

Now  mark  a  singular  fact.  In  the  writings  of 
John,  in  this  old  book  I  have  here,  you  will  find  a 
few  statements  regarding  these  things  which  com- 
bine wondrous  simplicity  of  language  with  marvel- 
ous, yes,  unfathomable,  depth  of  meaning.  First, 
about  life :  in  chapter  one,  verse  four,  of  the  gospel : 
— "in  Him  was  life,"  being  an  evident  allusion  to 
the  remarkable  Genesis  statement:  "the  LordBGod 
breathed  into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of  life,  and  man 
became  a  living  soul."  Then,  about  love:  in  chap- 
ter four,  verse  seven,  of  his  first  epistle: — "love  is 
of  God";  coupled  with  the  twice  spoken  words 
"God  is  love"  in  the  same  chapter.  About  light: 
in  chapter  one,  verse  five,  of  the  same  epistle,  "God 
is  light." 

I  know  some  of  you,  perhaps  some  skilled  theo- 
logian here,  is  saying  to  himself,  "Those  are  state- 
ments of  moral  truths."  And  I  understand  that 
that  is  the  common  conception.  But  I  want  to  state 
here  my  own  profound  conviction,  based  on  the 
Spirit-breathed  words  of  John,  that  some  day,  when 
we  shall  know  about  all  these  deep  things,  we  shall 
be  finding  that  there  is  a  basis  not  only  of  moral 
truth,  but  of  far  more  than  moral  truth  underlying 
those  profoundly  simple  statements. 

And  I  believe  in  that  day  we  shall  find  that  life — • 
all  life — is,  in  some  actual,  marvelous  way,  the  out- 


124          The  Personality- of  Power. 

breathing  of  God's  own  being.  And  that  light  is 
the  inherent  radiance  of  His  person  and  face,  and 
that  the  universal  passion  of  love  is  the  throbbing 
pulse-beat  of  His  own  great  heart. 

Now  why  take  time  to  speak  about  these  things 
to-night  when  we  are  talking  about  power?  I  will 
tell  you  why.  Because  they  give  the  intensest  prac- 
tical significance  to  a  similar  statement  about  that 
word  power  with  which  we  are  greatly  concerned 
just  now. 

Mark  the  language  Luke  uses  in  describing  that 
memorable  Olivet  scene  in  which  we  are  so  deeply 
interested  in  these  talks  together.  The  old  King 
James  version  reads:  "ye  shall  receive  power  after 
that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  come  upon  you."  The 
revised  version  puts  it  in  this  way,  "ye  shall  receive 
power  -when  the  Holy  Spirit  is  come  upon  you." 
Some  of  you  have  probably  noticed  that  some  edi- 
tions give  a  marginal  note,  which,  in  this  case, 
proves  to  be  the  literal  reading  namely:  ye  shall 
receive  power  the  Holy  Spirit  coming  upon  you.  Not 
"after,"  nor  "when,"  but  simply  "the  Holy  Spirit 
coming,"  etc.  That  is  to  say,  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
power.  That  you  will  observe  fits  in  with  the  form 
of  statement  John  uses.  The  Holy  Spirit  in  con- 
trol, unhindered,  unhampered,  means  power  mani- 
fest in  the  life.  That  is  the  profound  truth  of  God's 
book.  And  as  a  bit  of  side  evidence  it  is  striking 
to  observe  that  all  Scripture  statements  throughout 
fit  in  with  that  conception.  Power  is  a  person.  Not 


The  Personality  of  Power.          125 

some  thing,  nor  influence,  nor  sentiment,  nor  some 
working  upon  our  hearts  at  a  distance  by  God  seated 
up  yonder  on  the  throne.  That  were  wonderful 
indeed.  But  a  person,  called  the  Holy  Spirit,  living 
in  me — shall  I  make  it  very  definite  by  saying,  living 
in  my  body? — that  is  power.  If  restrained  by  sin,  or 
disobedience,  or  ignorance,  or  wilfulness  of  any 
sort,  then  power  restrained,  held  in  check,  not  evi- 
dent. If  utterly  unrestrained,  given  free  sway  and 
control — ah !  then  power  manifest,  limitless,  wonder- 
ful, all  exercised  in  carrying  out  God's  will  in,  and 
with,  and  through  me. 

And  the  marvelous  message  I  bring  you  from  the 
old  book  of  God  is  this:  The  Master  has  sent  a  dear 
friend  of  His,  and  of  yours,  who  is  experienced,  and 
strong,  and  loving,  personally  to  conduct  you  through 
your  daily  life,  and  His  presence  unrestrained,  means 
power  unlimited. 

A  Significant  Name. 

Do  you  remember  that  heart-to-heart  talk  that 
Jesus  had  with  the  eleven  disciples  that  last  night 
they  spent  together  in  the  upper  room?  John  tells 
us  about  it  in  chapters  thirteen  to  sixteen.  The 
Master  talks  a  great  deal  that  night,  about  some  One 
else,  who  was  coming  to  take  His  place  with  them. 
They  did  not  understand  what  He  meant  till  after- 
wards. He  packs  more  into  that  one  evening's  talk 
about  this  coming  One  than  all  He  had  said  before 


126          The  Personality  of  Power. 

put  together.  Notice  that  now  He  gives  a  name,  a 
new  name,  to  this  person,  repeated  four  times  that 
night.  It  is  an  intensely  significant  name — the 
Comforter.  Will  you  remember,  and  keep  constant- 
ly in  mind,  the  actual  meaning  of  that  new  name? 
it  is  simply  this:  one  called  alongside  to  help. 

Let  me  attempt  to  suggest  a  little  of  its  practical 
meaning. 

Here  is  a  little  girl  standing  on  the  curbstone 
down  town  on  Broadway  in  New  York,  with  a 
bundle  in  her  arms.  She  has  been  sent  on  an 
errand,  and  wants  to  get  across  the  street.  But  the 
electric  cars  are  whizzing  past  in  both  directions, 
and  wagons,  and  carriages,  and  omnibuses,  and 
horses  jam  the  street  from  curb  to  curb,  and  she 
cannot  get  across.  She  stands  there  gripping  her 
bundle,  watching  eagerly  for  a  chance,  and  yet  afraid 
to  venture.  But  the  jam  seems  endless,  and  she 
grows  very  tired,  and  by  and  by  the  corners  of  her 
mouth  begin  to  twitch  down  suspiciously,  and  a  big 
tear  is  just  starting  in  each  eye.  Just  then  a  big 
policeman  steps  up,  one  of  the  finest,  six  feet  tall, 
and  heavy  and  broad.  He  seems  like  a  giant  to  her. 
He  stoops  down.  Would  you  imagine  he  had  such 
a  gentle  voice?  "What's  the  matter?"  "Can't — 
get— 'cross."  Oh!  is  that  all;  he'll  fix  that.  And 
he  takes  her  little  hand  in  his  with  a  reassuring 
"come  along."  And  along  she  goes,  past  cars, 
under  horses'  heads,  close  up  to  big  wheels.  She 
is  just  as  small  as  before,  and  just  as  weak.  But 


The  Personality  of  Power.  127 

though  her  eyes  stay  pretty  big,  the  tears  are  gone, 
and  there  is  an  air  of  confidence,  because  this  big, 
kind-hearted  giant  by  her  side  is  walking  across  the 
street  as  though  he  owned  the  whole  place,  and  he  is 
devoting  his  entire  attention  to  her.  That  policeman 
is  a  comforter  in  the  strict  meaning  of  the  word. 

Here  is  a  boy  in  school,  head  down  close  to  the 
desk,  puzzling  over  a  "sum."  It  won't  "come 
out."  He  figures  away,  and  his  brow  is  all  knitted 
up,  and  a  worried  look  is  coming  into  his  face  for  he 
is  a  conscientious  little  fellow.  But  he  cannot  seem 
to  get  it  right  and  the  clouds  gather  thicker.  By 
and  by  the  teacher  comes  up  and  sits  down  by  his 
side.  It  awes  him  a  little  to  have  her  quite  so  close. 
But  her  kindliness  of  manner  mellows  the  awe. 
"How  are  you  getting  along?"  "Won't  come  out 
right" — in  a  very  despondent  tone.  "Let  me  see, 
did  you  subtract  that  ....?"  "Oh-h-h!  I  for- 
got that,"  and  a  little  light  seems  to  break,  as  he 
scratches  away  for  a  few  moments;  then  pauses. 
"And  this  figure  here,  should  it  be  .  .  .  .  " 
"Oh-h-h,  I  see."  More  scratching,  and  a  soft  sigh 
of  relief,  and  the  knitting  brows  unravel,  and  the  face 
brightens.  The  teacher  did  not  do  the  problem  for 
him.  She  did  better.  She  let  him  feel  her  kindly 
interest  first  of  all,  and  gave  just  the  light,  experi- 
enced touch  that  showed  him  the  way  out,  and  yet 
allowed  him  the  peculiar  pleasure  of  getting  through 
himself.  That  is  wJiat  "Comforter"  means. 

One  summer  a  friend  suggested  to  me  spending  a 


128          The  Personality  of  Power. 

week  on  Lake  Chautauqua.  I  did  not  have  the 
money  to  spare,  and  so  told  him  I  was  not  sure  I 
could  arrange  to  get  away.  But  he  seemed  to 
divine  the  basis  of  my  objection,  and  insisted  on  my 
going  along.  We  went.  I  had  very  little  money 
with  me.  I  got  on  the  train  without  a  ticket,  took 
a  seat  in  the  parlor  car,  stopped  at  the  best  hotel, 
had  a  choice  room  on  the  ground  floor,  patronized 
the  well-ordered  dining-room  regularly,  and  made 
free  use  of  the  place.  And  all  the  time  I  had  prac- 
tically no  money  with  me.  But  would  you  believe 
me  I  was  not  a  particle  concerned  about  paying  for 
those  privileges.  Never  felt  less  concern  about  any- 
thing in  my  life.  You  know  why.  I  had  a  trust- 
worthy friend  with  me  who  was  concerned  for  me. 

Now  these  are  simple  suggestions,  illustrating 
partly  the  meaning  of  that  marvelous  name  Jesus 
gave  to  the  Holy  Spirit.  I  will  send  another  Com- 
forter, one  who  will  be  right  by  your  side  to  help, 
sympathetic,  experienced,  strong;  and  He  will  stay 
with  you  all  the  time.  In  the  kitchen,  in  the  sitting- 
room,  the  sick-room,  with  the  children,  when  work 
piles  up,  when  things  jangle  or  threaten  to,  when 
the  baby's  cross,  and  the  patching  and  sweeping  and 
baking,  and  all  the  rest  of  it  seem  endless,  on  the 
street,  in  the  office,  on  the  campus,  in  the  store, 
when  tempted — almost  slipped,  when  opportunity 
opens  for  a  quiet  personal  word,  everywhere,  every 
time,  in  every  circumstance,  one  alongside  to  help. 
Is  not  that  wonderful? 


The  Personality  of  Power.          129 

A  Pictorial  Illustration. 

There  is  one  bother  about  illustrations:  they  never 
do  tell  all  the  truth.  They  never  are  as  vivid,  nor 
as  good  as  the  truth,  that  is  when  you  are  talking 
about  our  Master,  or  His  arrangements.  The  very 
best  illustrations  of  Bible  truth  are  Bible  illustra- 
tions. Now  there  is  a  striking  pictorial  illustration 
back  in  the  Old  Testament  of  the  meaning  of  this 
name  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  is  in  the  story  of  a 
most  remarkable  journey  from  Egypt  to  the  border 
line  of  Palestine.  The  journey  was  remarkable  for 
two  things.  First,  for  the  sort  of  country  it  was 
through.  It  is  a  trackless  waste  of  sand,  that 
spreads  over  thousands  of  square  miles.  It  was 
infested  with  venomous  serpents  and  scorpions,  and 
is  described  as  "all  that  great  and  terrible  wilder- 
ness," "a  waste  howling  wilderness,"  and  "a  land 
of  deserts  and  pits,  of  drought  and  of  the  shadow  of 
death,  that  none  passed  through,  and  where  no  man 
dwelt."  Think  of  taking  a  trip  through  a  country 
like  that !  But  it  was  even  more  remarkable  because 
of  the  transformation  that  took  place  in  the  travel- 
ers. For  a  mob  of  four  millions  of  people  was 
changed  into  a  well-organized  nation.  The  explana- 
tion given  is  fully  as  remarkable  as  the  trip,  and  the 
transformation.  It  must  strike  very  strangely  on 
the  cold,  matter-of-fact  ears  of  this  materialistic 
world  we  dwell  in.  It  is  this:  that  the  Lord  God 
Himself  actually  went  with  them  in  person,  and 


130          The  Personality  of  Power. 

\\ved  with  them,  and  took  immediate  charge  of 
everything.  He  had  promised  Moses,  their  leader, 
that  He  would  do  this.  Just  how  definite  or  indefi- 
nite a  thing  that  meant  to  Moses'  mind  we  cannot 
know.  But  it  became  very  definite  and  tangible 
that  memorable  night  of  departure  from  the  iron 
furnace  of  Egypt.  For  there  was  a  real  physical 
evidence  of  His  presence.  There  appeared  a 
column  or  pillar  of  fleecy-like  cloud  which  came 
down  close  to  the  ground,  and  which  every  one 
could  plainly  see.  At  night  time  it  shone  and 
flamed  as  a  pillar  full  of  partly  concealed  fire. 
God's  voice  spake  out  of  it  in  their  hearing.  And 
that  presence-cloud  never  left  them.  In  spite  of 
complaints,  and  criticisms,  and  rebellions  of  the 
most  mean  and  exasperating  kind,  it  never  left  them 
until  they  had  safely  arrived  at  the  border  line  of  the 
promised  Palestine. 

Now  it  is  extremely  fascinating  in  tracing  that 
journey  to  notice  just  what  that  cloud  came  to  mean 
to  them.  If  you  will  run  rapidly  through  the  three 
wilderness  books,  Exodus,  Leviticus  and  Numbers, 
you  will  find  there  twenty  distinct  incidents l  which 
illustrate  how  God's  actual  presence  in  that  cloud 
was  made  very  real  to  them  in  practical  affairs.  In 
those  incidents  there  are  ten  different  ways  in  which 
they  were  made  to  feel  that  powerful  Presence. 

At  the  outset  it  is  mentioned  that  the  chief  pur- 
pose was  "to  lead  them  the  way,"  and,  by  night 

1  See  note  at  the  end. 


The  Personality  of  Power.          131 

"to  give  them  light."  Five  incidents  speak  of 
bodily  nourishment,  including  fresh  food  daily,  with 
occasional  extras,  and  a  full  supply  of  pure  living 
water.  Five  speak  of  protection  from  bodily  harm. 
Two  tell  of  the  defeat  of  an  enemy.  Once  there  is 
chiding  for  ingratitude.  Six  times  rebuke  or  punish- 
ment for  sin.  In  four  they  are  held  back  when  dead- 
set  on  a  very  wrong  course.  Twice  there  is  instruc- 
tion in  their  leader's  plan  for  them.  Three  times  a 
fuller  manifestation  of  Himself,  and  each  time  this  is 
preceded  by  obedience  on  their  part  in  some  partic- 
ular matter.  Once  there  is  a  special  plan  suggested 
for  relief  in  managing  the  nation's  affairs.  And 
then  the  fact  is  stated  that  whenever  Moses  went 
apart  to  talk  with  God  the  cloud  descended  lower, 
that  is,  God  came  nearer  when  Moses  desired  to  talk 
with  Him.  So  you  see,  the  cloud  meant  guidance 
through  that  trackless  desert,  food  supplies,  protec- 
tion, defeat  for  the  enemy,  chiding,  restraint,  pun- 
ishment, instruction,  help  in  business  matters,  a 
more  intimate  manifestation  of  the  glorious  person- 
ality of  their  Guide,  and  a  gracious  coming  nearer 
whenever  desired.  Was  not  that  a  real  practical 
presence  of  the  great  God  with  them  all  those  days? 
Now  that  is  the  Bible's  own  graphic  illustration 
of  the  meaning  of  that  new  name  given  to  the  Holy 
Spirit,  by  Him  who  knew  Him  best,  Comforter — one 
alongside  to  help. 


132          The  Personality  of  Power. 

On  a  Higher  Level. 

Before  we  leave  that  illustration  we  must  notice 
a  very  significant  thing  which  is  no  small  part  of  the 
truth  illustrated.  Though  the  cloud  appeared  the 
very  night  of  that  sudden  going  out  of  Egypt,  and 
was  never  absent  from  them,  by  day  or  by  night, 
yet  a  full  year  afterwards  there  was  a  new  experi- 
ence. By  God's  direction  a  special  tent  was  made 
and  set  up  in  which  He  said  He  would  dwell.  It 
was  known  as  God's  dwelling  place,  the  tent  of 
meeting,  the  tabernacle,  the  tent  of  testimony. 
When  everything  concerning  its  setting  up  had  been 
fully  done  as  specified  then  there  was  an  experience 
the  most  remarkable  they  had  yet  had  with  God. 
It  was  a  new  manifestation  of  the  glorious  presence 
of  their  unseen  Friend-Guide.  It  is  twice  said  that 
the  tent  was  "filled"  with  His  glory.  And  this 
nearer  disclosure,  which  God  gave  of  Himself,  was 
so  marvelously  glorious  and  overpowering  that  even 
Moses,  who  had  spent  almost  twelve  weeks  in  that 
mount  with  God,  in  closer  intimacy  than  any  one 
else — even  Moses  was  not  able  to  enter  into  the  tent, 
so  over-awing  was  that  Presence. 

Now  it  is  of  intensest  interest  to  mark  four  things 
about  that  experience.  First  of  all,  before  it  came, 
there  was  obedience  to  God's  instructions.  Eighteen 
times  within  the  narrow  limits  of  the  last  two  pages 
of  the  Exodus  record,  it  is  said  that  Moses  and  the 
people  did  everything,  in  every  particular,  just 


The  Personality  of  Power.          133 

exactly  as  "the  Lord  commanded  Moses."  There 
was  explicit  obedience  before  anything  else.  Then 
followed  the  wondrous  infilling  of  the  tent  with 
God's  presence.  The  third  thing  is  particularized 
very  carefully:  all  their  movements  were  directed 
and  controlled  by  that  Presence.  Clearly  the  only 
safe  rule  for  living  in  that  terrible  desert,  was  to 
plan  to  live  a  planless  life  so  far  as  their  own  plan- 
ning was  concerned.  Besides  the  last  two  verses  of 
Exodus  which  emphasize  this,  I  find  that  in  my 
revised  Oxford  edition  forty-five  lines  in  the  ninth 
chapter  of  Numbers  are  given  to  telling  how  exactly 
they  were  guided,  and  how  explicitly  they  followed 
their  Guide.  It  seems  almost  at  first  reading  as 
though  there  was  a  decidedly  needless  repetition. 
You  seem  to  understand  the  thing  easily  enough 
without  that.  But  as  one  reads  it  again,  and  yet 
again,  slowly,  it  begins  to  dawn  upon  the  mind  that 
the  purpose  is  to  put  marked  emphasis  on  this  fea- 
ture of  their  new  life  in  the  wilderness.  The  people 
would  rise  in  the  morning,  and  probably  the  first 
thing  done  was  to  look  out  toward  the  cloud  to  learn 
if  there  was  to  be  any  change  that  day.  And  so 
during  the  day  there  would  come  to  be  an  instinctive 
habit  of  watching  that  cloud.  They  might  remain 
in  a  new  camping  place  for  months,  or  only  for  a 
few  weeks,  or,  possibly  only  for  a  few  days.  They 
never  knew  a  day  ahead.  They  lived  literally  a  day 
at  a  time.  It  was  certainly  a  hand-to-mouth  exist- 
ence so  far  as  the  daily  manna  was  concerned.  But 


ij4          The  Personality  of  Power. 

then  it  was  from  His  hand  to  their  mouths  and  that 
made  a  great  difference.  It  was  equally  so  in  their 
movements  and  in  all  of  their  new  life.  When,  one 
morning  as  thousands  of  heads  peep  out,  the  cloud 
is  seen  to  have  lifted  up  from  over  the  tent,  the  next 
question  was — which  direction?  It  might  be  toward 
the  west,  or  it  might  be  just  the  opposite,  toward  the 
east.  Both  the  time  of  going,  and  the  direction,  and 
the  pace  were  regulated  by  the  presence  of  their 
Friend  in  that  cloud.  Their  life  was  a  life  of  obedi- 
ence to  the  will  of  their  wise,  loving  Companion. 

The  fourth  thing  was  intimacy  of  intercourse.  It 
is  a  little  unfortunate  that  in  reading  our  Bibles  we 
sometimes  allow  the  gaps  that  come  in  the  printing 
to  break  the  continuity  of  thought.  There  is  a 
break  for  instance  between  the  last  verse  of  Exodus 
and  the  first  verse  of  Leviticus.  The  reading  is 
meant  to  be  continuous,  and  shows  that  after  the 
infilling,  and  the  explanation  about  guidance,  that 
God  "called"  Moses  to  Him  and  commenced  talking 
about  their  new  life.  Now  in  connection  with  that 
call,  and  all  their  after  talks,  notice  a  remarkable 
statement  in  the  last  verse  of  that  long  seventh  chap- 
ter of  Numbers.  It  explains  just  how  God  talked 
with  Moses.  Listen:  "Whenever  Moses  went  into 
the  tent  of  meeting  to  speak  with  Him,  then  he  heard 
the  voice  speaking  unto  him  from  above  the  mercy- 
seat  that  was  upon  the  ark  of  the  testimony,  from 
between  the  two  cherubim;  and  He  speaketh  unto 
him. ' '  There  was  the  living,  loving  voice  of  their 


The  Personality  of  Power.          135 

Companion-God,  which  Moses  could  plainly  hear, 
and  which  others  heard,  talking  familiarly  and  inti- 
mately about  all  their  affairs.  Several  times  when 
in  doubt  what  to  do  Moses  promptly  went  off  into 
the  tent,  then  the  cloud  would  come  down  nearer, 
and  Moses  would  state  his  difficulty,  and  back  would 
come  that  clear  distinct  voice  with  an  answer. 
Group  up  those  four  things — obedience;  the  never- 
to-be-forgotten  infilling;  the  controlling  guidance; 
and  intimate  companionship. 

That  is  the  very  best  illustration  I  can  find  of  the 
meaning  of  that  word  which  Jesus  now  chooses  out 
and  uses  as  the  new  name  which  would  most  vividly 
tell  what  the  Holy  Spirit  was  to  be  to  all  believers  after 
His  own  departure.  All  that  the  presence  of  God  in 
that  pillar  was  to  those  people,  and  to  Moses  per- 
sonally, all  that  the  Holy  Spirit  will  be  to  you. 
And  my  own  conviction  is  that  Jesus  had  that  Old 
Testament  scene  in  His  mind.  For  if  you  will  turn 
again  to  that  last  night's  talk  you  will  find  a  striking 
repetition  of  the  steps  or  peculiarities  of  that  wilder- 
ness experience.  Though  here  the  whole  experience 
is  on  a  much  higher,  finer  plane.  There  is  a  close- 
ness of  personal  regard,  a  depth  of  that  deepest  of 
all  loves,  friendship  love,  that  is  not  found  in  the 
Old  Testament  story,  except  perhaps  between  Moses 
himself  and  God. 

But  now  read  the  twenty-first  verse  of  the  four- 
teenth chapter  of  John:  "He  that  hath  My  command- 
ments and  keepeth  them,  he  it  is  that  loveth  Me; 


136          The  Personality  of  Power. 

and  he  that  loveth  Me  shall  be  loved  of  My  Father, 
and  I  will  love  him,  and  will  manifest  Myself  unto 
him."  And  the  twenty-third  verse  adds  to  it:  "If 
a  man  love  Me,  he  will  keep  My  word:  and  My 
Father  will  love  him,  and  We  will  come  unto  him 
and  make  Our  abiding  place  with  him."  Notice: 
there  is  obedience;  it  is  accepted  as  an  evidence  of 
love:  there  is  a  return  love — a  new,  higher,  recipro- 
cal love:  then  there  is  a  revealing  of  Himself;  and, 
constant  abiding.  Now  run  your  eye  through  the 
remaining  part  of  that  evening's  conversation  and 
you  can  quickly  pick  out  these  words:  "teach," 
"bring  to  your  remembrance,"  "guide,"  "bear 
witness  of  me,"  "tell  you  coming  things,"  "tell 
you  about  me." 

Does  that  not  parallel  remarkably  the  wilderness 
experience?  Only  it  is  all  put  on  such  a  higher 
plane.  There  is  a  fullness,  and  richness,  and  tender- 
ness, of  personal  intimacy  here.  The  Presence  in 
the  wilderness  was  for  the  national  life:  here  it  is 
peculiarly  for  the  personal  life.  There  He  dwelt 
actually  in  the  heart  of  the  nation.  Here  He  dwells 
actually  in  one's  own  very  person.  And  then,  too, 
now  He  can  do  so  much  more  in  us  because  so 
much  more  has  been  done  for  us  through  the  person 
of  Jesus. 


The  Personality  of  Power.          137 

How  to  Find  the  Meaning. 

May  I  say  right  here  plainly:  there  seems  to  be 
even  yet  in  some  quarters  a  hazy  idea  about  the  Holy 
Spirit  being  a  person.  It  is  extremely  common, 
even  among  people  of  excellent  Christian  training, 
to  find  Him  referred  to,  both  in  prayer  and  speech 
as  it.  Could  anything  be  more  disrespectful  or  in- 
sulting, if  it  were  intentional  instead  of  being 
thoughtless  or,  in  ignorance,  as  I  am  sure  it  really 
is.  Imagine  my  speaking  of  the  pastor  of  this 
church  in  that  way.  "//  is  a  good  preacher.  //  is 
a  helpful  pastor."  You  smile,  and  he  smiles.  But 
if  I  said  it  repeatedly,  and  in  sober  earnest,  you 
know  how  insulted  he  would  be.  I  suppose  that  the 
use  of  the  word  "itself"  for  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the 
eighth  chapter  of  Romans  is  largely  responsible  for 
this.  The  revisers  have  properly  substituted  the 
word  "himself."  That  very  usage  so  common  has 
doubtless  accustomed  many  persons  to  a  vague  idea 
of  the  personality  of  the  Spirit.  And  yet  apart 
from  that,  there  is  without  doubt  much  mistiness, 
and  uncertainty,  in  some  minds,  because  of  the  diffi- 
culty of  thinking  of  a  person  without  a  form.  It 
seems  impossible  for  our  minds  to  grasp  the  idea  of 
existence  without  bodily  shape,  yet  of  course  we 
believe  in  a  personal  God.  Probably  another  reason 
is  that  the  Holy  Spirit's  work  is  not  to  speak  of 
Himself  but  of  Another — of  Jesus.  He  is  Jesus' 
representative,  and  is  constantly  absorbed  in  filling 


138          The  Personality  of  Power. 

us  with  thoughts  of  His  Chief.  And  when  our 
minds  are  most  deeply  stirred  with  thoughts  of 
Jesus  then  it  is  that  in  that  very  fact  of  being  so 
stirred  we  have  clearest  evidence  of  the  Holy  Spirit's 
presence  within  us.  His  very  faithfulness  to  His 
mission  has  led  to  Himself  suffering  depreciation  at 
our  hands,  through  our  ignorance. 

I  am  sure  it  must  help  us  all  decidedly  in  getting 
a  clear-cut,  sharply  defined  idea  of  His  personality 
to  notice  the  language  Jesus  uses  in  speaking  of  Him 
that  night.  For  instance,  notice  that  in  our  English 
version  the  personal  pronouns  "he,"  "whom," 
"him,"  "which"  (used  in  the  sense  of  who  as  is 
common  with  the  British  translators),  occur  twenty- 
four  times.  A  study  of  the  actual  words  used  would 
prove  helpful  and  interesting.  One  of  them,  used 
several  times,  is  peculiarly  emphatic,  its  meaning 
being  equivalent  to  the  expression  "that  person 
there." 

And  then  notice  the  words  used  to  describe  what 
this  person  will  do:  "He  shall  teach,"  "bring  to 
your  remembrance,"  "bear  witness  of  Me,"  "con- 
vict the  world  of"  three  distinct  things,  "shall 
guide,"  "shall  hear,"  "shall  speak,"  "shall  de-' 
clare,"  "shall  glorify  Me,"  "shall  take  of  Mine  and 
declare  it  unto  you."  Everyone  of  these  ten  differ- 
ent expressions  imply  intelligence  and  discrimina- 
tion, and  therefore  of  course  personality.  And 
then  added  to  this  is  the  name  given  to  Him  here 
of  which  so  much  has  been  said. 


The  Personality  of  Power.          139 

May  we  take  just  another  look  at  that  name — The 
Comforter — as  we  close  our  talk  together?  I  wish 
with  my  whole  heart,  and  I  pray,  that  a  vivid  sense 
of  the  meaning  of  that  name  may  be  one  result  of 
this  evening's  meeting.  I  was  traveling  alone  in 
Germany  one  hot  July  day  on  a  train  going  down  to 
the  city  of  Worms.  It  was  quite  hot  and  I  was 
very  tired,  and  my  head  aching,  I  distinctly  remem- 
ber. The  conductor  came  along  and  objected  to 
my  ticket.  Before  leaving  this  country,  I  thought 
I  knew  a  little  of  German,  enough  to  worry  through 
on.  My  ideas  on  that  subject  changed  a  trifle  over 
there,  however.  That  day  my  tired  ears  refused  to 
recognize  any  familiar  sounds  on  the  conductor's 
lips,  and  my  tired  tongue  refused  to  utter  anything 
satisfactory  to  him.  And  there  I  was,  a  complete 
stranger  in  a  strange  land  too  tired  to  think  or  have 
any  mental  resources,  not  knowing  but  I  might  be 
put  off  at  the  next  station.  In  fact  just  tired 
enough  for  fine  worrying.  It  looked  blue  for  a  few 
moments.  But  not  for  long.  A  young  man  by  my 
side,  a  Jew,  spoke  to  me  in  excellent  English.  Was 
any  sound  ever  so  welcome!  He  straightened  the 
conductor  out,  and  then  we  fell  to  talking  together. 
He  proved  to  be  a  very  intelligent,  agreeable  com- 
panion. I  found  his  home  was  in  the  city  where  I 
was  going.  So  we  got  off  there  together,  and  he 
simply  devoted  himself  to  me  for  the  day.  He  took 
me  up  to  a  good  hotel,  and  while  I  was  eating  din- 
ner, went  and  got  his  brother  who  had  been  in 


140          The  Personality  of  Power. 

America,  and  who  entertained  me  while  I  ate. 
Then  he  took  me  to  his  father's  home,  a  large  old 
mansion,  overlooking  the  famous  Luther  monument, 
where  I  rested  a  while.  And  then  a'  quick  run  to  a 
few  interesting  points,  and  finally  when  leaving  time 
came,  he  insisted  on  accompanying  me  to  the  station, 
and  making  sure  I  had  a  good  seat,  and  then  bade 
me  a  gracious  good-bye. 

That  day  lingers  in  my  memory  as  one  of  the 
green  spots  of  that  trip.  It  touched  me  to  think 
that  my  Master  graciously  sent  one  of  His  own 
despised  race  to  be  my  friend.  Do  you  not  think 
that  that  man,  experienced  where  I  was  ignorant, 
and  so  sympathetic,  was  a  living  illustration  to  me 
of  Jesus'  name  for  the  Holy  Spirit — one  called  along- 
side to  help? 

One  day  recently,  riding  on  a  Lake  Shore  train  in 
Ohio,  I  chanced  to  notice  the  conductor  stopping  to 
speak  to  a  little  girl  sitting  behind  me.  Then  I 
noticed  that  she  was  alone  and  crying  a  little, 
quietly.  She  did  not  answer  his  questions,  but  he 
must  have  been  a  father,  I  thought,  because  he 
seemed  to  understand  so  well.  Speaking  to  a  kind- 
faced  motherly  looking  woman  in  the  next  seat  he 
had  the  little  girl  go  back  and  sit  beside  her,  next 
the  window.  They  did  not  talk  much,  if  any,  I 
noticed.  But  the  girl  was  snuggled  up  close,  and 
I  knew  from  her  face  that  she  felt  the  warm  sym- 
pathy of  that  friendly  presence,  and  that  the  terrible 
feeling  of  loneliness  had  gone.  Is  not  that  woman, 


The  Personality  of  Power.          141 

another  illustration  of  that  name  Comforter?  Her 
mere  presence  was  all  that  was  needed  to  clear  the 
skies  and  change  the  atmosphere  for  the  little  lone 
and  lonely  traveler. 

But  Jesus  Himself  has  a  very  striking  way  of 
making   clear    just  what   He   meant,   by  coupling 
another  word  with  that  new  name  the  first  time  He 
used  it.     He  says,  "I  will  send  another  Comforter." 
The  comparison  is  with  Himself.     He  is  one  com- 
forter.    The  Holy  Spirit  another  one.     The  only 
other  time  this  word  is  used  is  by  John  in  his  first 
epistle,  and  is  translated  by  our  word  advocate,  and 
refers  to  Jesus.     Jesus  practically  says:  "You  know 
what  I  have  been  to  you  these  months  past."     And 
they  would   think    through  the  close  intimacy   ofj 
nearly  two  years.     How  He  had  spoken  with  unmis-j 
takable  plainness  when  they  were  in  the  wrong,  but] 
also  how  loving  with  a  strong  love  He  had  been,  howj 
patient,  and  gentle,   and  resourceful,  and  how  He 
seemed  to  yearn  over  them  that  they  might  grow 
into  His  ideal  for  them.     "Now,"  He  says,  "I  am 
going  away,  but  I  will  send  you  another  one  who; 
will  be  to  you  all  that  I  have  been — and  more."  "[- 
And  more!    That  comparative  more,  either  spoken 
or  implied,  runs  all  through  this  last  long  confiden- 
tial talk.     "More,  much  more,  because  I  go  unto  the 
Father."     Jesus  crucified,  risen,  glorified  can    do 
much  more  by  far  in  us  by  His  other  self,  the  Holy 
Spirit,  than  He  could  in  person  on  the  earth  those 
years.     And  the  wondrous  meaning  of  that  "another 


142          The  Personality  of  Power. 

comforter"  to  you  and  me,  my  friends,  to-night  is 
simply  this:  it  is  the  same  as  though  the  Lord  Jesus 
had  actually  come  back  again  and  you  had  Him  all 
to  yourself — and  more. 

But  I  cannot  tell  you  the  meaning  of  that  wonder- 
ful name.  Nor  yet  the  wondrous  charm  of  Him, 
who,  for  our  sakes,  embodies  it.  You  may  put 
together  all  these  illustrations  in  the  attempt  to  get 
a  real,  close-up,  idea  of  what  Jesus  meant  in  that 
love-gift  of  His  to  you.  And  then  you  will  not 
know.  There  is  really  only  one  way  to  gain  that 
knowledge.  It  is  this:  take  the  step  which  belongs 
to  your  side  of  the  transaction  between  you  and  the 
Master.  Surrender  yourself  to  Him  to  be  changed 
and  cleansed  and  used  as  He  may  choose.  Then 
He  will  begin  at  once  working  out  the  side  that 
belongs  to  Him.  You  shall  be  filled  with  His  pres- 
ence. Then  you  will  begin  to  know.  Then  you  can 
sing— 

"I  have  a  wonderful  guest, 

Who  speeds  my  feet,  who  moves  my  hands, 
Who  strengthens,  comforts,  guides,  commands. 
Whose  presence  gives  me  rest. 

"He  dwells  within  my  soul, 

He  swept  away  the  filth  and  gloom; 
He  garnished  fair  the  empty  room, 
And  now  pervades  the  whole." 

And  you  shall  go  on  knowing  more  and  better 
until  the  day  dawn  and  the  shadows  flee  away. 


The  Personality  of  Power.          143 


Of  the  twenty  incidents  referred  to  three  do  not  directly  mention 
the  cloud,  and  in  two  others  it  is  over  the  mount,  with  its  character- 
istics much  intensified.  The  references  are  given  for  those  who  will 
want  to  get  closer  up  to  this  famous  illustration. 

Guidance:  Ex.  xiii.  21-22,  with  Numbers  xiv:  14. 

Bodily  nourishment:  Ex.  xv:25;  xvi:  13-14,45;  xvii:6.  Numbers 
xi:  31-32.  xx:  1-12. 

Protection  from  bodily  harm:  The  nation— Ex.  xiv:  19-20.  The 
leaders — Num.  xiv:  10  and  on.  xvi:  19  and  on.  xvi:  42  and  on.  xx:  1-12. 

Defeat  of  an  enemy:  Ex.  xiv:  24-31;  xvii:  8-16. 

Chiding:  Ex.  xvi:  4-7,  10-12. 

Rebuke  or  punishment  for  sin:  Numbers  xi:  33;  xii:  i-io;  xiv: 
10  and  on;  xvi:  19  and  on;  42  and  on;  xx:  1-12. 

Held  back  from  wrong:  Numbers  xiv:  10  and  on;  xvi:  iq  and  on; 
42  and  on;  xx:  1-12. 

Instruction  and  training:  Ex.  xix:  g,  16  and  on;  xxiv:  15-18. 

Fuller  manifestation:  Ex.  xxxiv.  5  and  on;  xl:  34-38.  Lev.  ix:6,  23. 

Special  plan  of  relief  in  managment:  Numbers  xi:  16, 17,  25. 

Coming  nearer:  Ex.  xxxiii:  7-11,  revised  version. 


MAKING  AND   BREAKING 
CONNECTIONS. 


MAKING  AND   BREAKING 
CONNECTIONS. 


Many  Experiences,  but  One  Law. 

In  mechanics  power  depends  on  good  connections. 
A  visit  to  any  great  machine  shop  makes  that  clear. 
There  must  be  good  connections  in  two  directions — 
inward  toward  the  source  of  power,  and  outward  for 
use.  The  same  law  holds  true  in  spiritual  power  as 
in  mechanical.  There  must  be  good  connections. 

These  nights  we  have  been  together  a  few  things 
have  seemed  clear.  We  have  seen  that  from  the 
standpoint  of  our  lives  there  is  need  of  power,  as 
well  as  from  the  standpoint  of  the  Master's  use  of 
us  among  others.  Jesus'  promise  and  insistent 
words  make  plain  the  necessity  of  our  having  power 
if  His  plan  for  us  is  not  to  fail.  His  words  about 
the  price  of  power  have  set  many  of  us  to  doing 
some  honest  thinking  and  heart-searching.  And  we 
have  gotten  some  suggestion,  too,  of  the  meaning 
of  that  word  power,  and  of  the  personality  back  of 
the  word. 

To-night  I  want  to  talk  with  you  a  little  about 
how  to  secure  good  connections  between  the  source 
of  power  and  the  channel  through  which  it  is  to  flow 


148     Making  and  Breaking  Connections. 

out  to  others;  and,  once  secured,  how  to  preserve 
the  connections  unbroken. 

It  has  been  one  of  the  peculiar  characteristics  of 
recent  years  in  religious  circles  that  much  has  been 
spoken  and  written  about  the  Holy  Spirit.  Thou- 
sands of  persons  have  been  led  into  a  clearer  under- 
standing of  His  personality  and  mission,  and  into 
intimate  relationship  with  Himself.  And  yet,  may 
I  say  frankly,  that  I  read  much  and  listened  to  much 
without  being  able  to  get  a  simple  workable  under- 
standing of  how  I  was  to  receive  the  much-talked-of 
baptism  of  power.  That  may  quite  likely  have  been 
due  to  my  own  dullness  of  comprehension.  But 
whatever  the  cause,  my  failing  to  understand  led  to 
a  rather  careful  study  of  the  old  Book  itself  until 
somewhat  clearer  light  has  come.  And  now  in  this 
convention  I  am  anxious  to  put  the  truth  as  simply 
as  I  may  that  others  may  not  blunder  and  bungle 
along  and  lose  precious  time  as  I  have  done. 

Many  an  earnest-  heart,  conscious  of  weakness  and 
failure,  is  asking,  how  may  I  have  power  to  resist 
temptation,  and  live  a  strong,  useful,  Christian  life? 
In  the  search  for  an  answer  some  of  us  have  run 
across  two  difficulties.  One  of  these  is  in  other 
•people's  experiences.  It  is  very  natural  to  try  to  find 
out  how  someone  else  has  succeeded  in  getting  what 
we  are  after.  Many  a  godly  man  has  told  of  his 
experience  of  waiting  and  pleading  with  God  before 
the  thing  he  sought  came.  Personal  experiences  are 
intensely  interesting,  and  often  helpful.  But  there 


Making  and  Breaking  Connections.     149 

are  apt  to  be  as  many  different  sorts  of  experiences 
as  there  are  persons.  Yet  there  is  one  unchanging 
law  of  God's  dealing  with  men  underlying  them  all. 
But  unless  one  is  more  skilled  than  many  of  us  are 
in  analyzing  experiences  and  discovering  the  under- 
lying law,  these  experiences  of  others  are  often  mis- 
leading. We  are  so  likely  to  think  at  once  of  the 
desirability  of  having  the  same  experience  as  some- 
one else,  rather  than  trying  to  find  God's  law  of 
spirit  life  in  them  all.  And  so,  some  of  the  written 
experiences  have  clouded  rather  than  cleared  the 
sky.  We  should  rather  try  first  to  get  something  of 
a  clear  understanding  of  God's  law  of  dealing  with 
men  as  a  sort  of  basis  to  build  upon.  And  then  fit 
into  that,  even  though  it  may  develop  differently  in 
our  circumstances.  We  may  then  get  much  help 
from  others'  experiences.  If  possible,  we  want  to- 
night to  get  something  of  an  inkling  of  that  law. 

Another  difficulty  that  has  bothered  some  of  us  is 
in  the  great  variety  of  language  used  in  speaking  of 
this  life  of  power;  a  variety  that  seems  confusing  to 
some  of  us.  "The  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit," 
"the  induement,"  "the  filling,"  "refilling,"  "many 
fillings,"  "special  anointings" — these  terms  are 
familiar,  though  just  the  distinctive  meaning  of  each 
is  not  always  clear.  Let  us  look  a  little  at  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Book  at  this  point.  A  run  through  the 
New  Testament  brings  out  five  leading  word  sused 
in  speaking  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  relation  to  us. 
These  words  are  "baptized,"  "filled,"  "anointed," 


150     Making  and  Breaking  Connections. 

"sealed,"  and  "earnest."  It  seems  to  take  all  five 
words  to  tell  all  of  the  truth.  Each  gives  a  different  side. 

The  word  baptized  is  the  distinctive  word  always 
used  before  the  day  of  Pentecost,  in  speaking  of 
what  was  to  occur  then.  It  is  not  used  afterward 
except  in  referring  back  to  that  day.  It  belongs 
peculiarly  to  the  day  of  Pentecost.  Each  of  the 
gospels  tells  that  John  the  Baptist  said  that  Jesus 
was  to  baptize  with  the  Holy  Spirit.  Jesus  Him- 
self uses  the  word,  during  the  forty  days,  in  Acts, 
first  chapter.  Peter,  in  Acts,  eleventh  chapter, 
recalls  this  remark.  Paul  uses  it  once  in  referring 
back  to  Pentecost.1  These  seem  to  be  the  only 
instances  where  the  word  is  used  in  speaking  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  One  other  word  is  used  once  in  ad- 
vance of  Pentecost.  "Tarry  until  ye  be  endued  or 
clothed  upon."2  We  shall  see  in  a  few  moments 
that  the  meaning  of  this  fits  in  with  the  meaning  of 
baptized,  emphasizing  one  part  of  its  meaning. 

"Baptized"  may  be  called  the  historical  word. 
It  describes  an  act  done  once  for  all  on  that  great 
day  of  Pentecost,  with  possibly  four  accessory  repe- 
titions to  make  clear  that  additional  classes  and 
groups  were  included.3  It  tells  God's  side. 

1  T  Cor.  xii.  13. 
a  Luke  xxiv.  49. 

3  That  is  to  make  perfectly  plain  that  this  experience  was  for  all: 
a  very  difficult  fact  for  these  intensely  Jewish  disciples  to  grasp. 

(1)  Not  limited  to  the  original  one  hundred  and  twenty,  but  for  the 
whole  body  ol  Jewish  disciples— Acts  iy. 

(2)  For  the  hated  half-breed  Samaritans — Acts  viii. 

(3)  For  the  "dogs"  of  Gentiles — Acts  x. 

(4JFor  individual  disciples  anywhere,  and  at  any  distance  in  time 
from  Pentecost — Acts  xix. 


Making  and  Breaking  Connections.     151 

In  this  connection  it  will  be  helpful  to  note  the 
significance  of  the  word  baptize.  Of  course  you 
will  understand  that  I  am  not  speaking  now  of  the 
matter  or  mode  of  water  baptism.  But  I  am  sup- 
posing that  originally  or  historically  the  word  means 
a  plunging  or  dipping  into.  We  commonly  think  of 
the  act  of  immersion-baptism  from  the  side  of  the 
object  immersed  because  the  action  is  on  the  side 
of  the  thing  or  person  which  is  plunged  down  into 
the  immersing  flood.  But  in  the  historical  baptism 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  at  Pentecost  the  standpoint  is 
reversed.  Instead  of  a  plunging  down  into  there  is 
a  coming  down  upon,  exactly  reversing  the  order 
with  which  we  are  familiar,  but  with  the  same  result 
— submersion.  Notice  the  phrases  in  Acts  used  in 
describing  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on  that 
historical  Pentecost:  "Coming  upon  you,"  "pour 
out,"  "poured  forth,"  "fallen  upon,"  "fell  upon," 
"poured  out,"  "fell  on  them,"  "came  upon,"1  all 
suggesting  an  act  from  above. 

A  Four-Sided  Truth. 

Now  notice  that  the  word  used  at  the  time  of  the 
actual  occurrence  and  afterwards  is  another  word — 
"filled"  and  "full,"  which  occurs  eleven  times  in  the 
first  nine  chapters  of  Acts.  It  tells  what  was  ex- 
perienced by  those  persons  at  Pentecost  and  after- 
wards. It  describes  their  side.  Baptism  was  the 

1  Acts  i:  8;  ii:  17, 33;  viii:  15;  x:  45;  xix:  6. 


152     Making  and  Breaking  Connections. 

act;  filling  was  the  result.  If  you  plunge  a  book 
into  water  you  are  submerging  the  book:  that  is 
your  side.  The  leaves  of  the  book  quickly  become 
soaked,  filled  with  the  water:  that  is  the  other  side. 
When  a  baby  is  born  it  is  plunged  out  into  the 
atmosphere.  That  is  an  immersion  into  air.  It 
begins  at  once  to  cry  and  its  lungs  become  filled 
with  the  air  into  which  it  has  been  plunged.  So 
here  "filled"  is  the  experience  word;  it  tells  our 
side. 

The  third  word,  "anointed"  indicates  the  purpose 
of  this  filling;  it  is  to  qualify  for  living  and  for  ser- 
vice. It  is  the  word  commonly  used  in  the  Old 
Testament  for  the  setting  apart  of  the  tabernacle  to 
its  holy  use;  and  of  priests  and  kings,  and  some- 
times prophets  for  service  and  leadership.  In  the 
New  Testament  it  is  four  times  used  of  Jesus,  each 
time  in  connection  with  His  public  ministry.1  Paul 
uses  it  of  himself  in  answering  those  who  had  criti- 
cised his  work  and  leadership  at  Corinth.2  And 
John  uses  it  twice  in  speaking  of  ability  to  discern 
and  teach  the  truth.3  It  is  the  power  word,  indicat- 
ing that  the  Holy  Spirit's  coming  is  for  the  specific 
purpose  of  setting  us  apart,  and  to  qualify  us  for 
right  living,  and  for  acceptable  and  helpful  service. 

The  fourth  word,  "sealed,"  explains  our  personal 
connection  with  the  Lord  Jesus.  It  is  used  once  by 

1  (i)Luke  iv.  18,  quo.  from  Isa.  Ixi:  i.  (2)  Acts  iv:  27.  (3)  Acts  x:  38. 
(4)Heb.  i:  9,  quotation  from  Ps.  xiv:7. 
1  2  Cor.  i:2i. 
*  i  John  i:  20,  27. 


Making  and  Breaking  Connections.     153 

Paul  in  writing  to  his  friends  at  Corinth,  and  twice 
in  the  Ephesian  epistle.1  The  seal  was  used,  and 
still  is  to  mark  ownership.  In  our  lumber  regions 
up  in  the  Northwest  it  is  customary  to  clear  a  small 
spot  on  a  log  and  strike  it  with  the  blunt  end  of  a 
hatchet  containing  the  initials  of  the  owner,  and 
then  send  it  adrift  down  the  stream  with  hundreds 
of  others,  and  though  it  may  float  miles  unguarded, 
that  mark  of  ownership  is  respected.  On  the  West- 
ern plains  it  is  common  to  see  mules  with  an  initial 
branded  on  the  flank.  In  both  cases  the  initial  is 
the  owner's  seal,  recognized  by  law  as  sufficient  evi- 
dence of  ownership.  So  the  Holy  Spirit  is  Jesus' 
ownership  mark  stamped  upon  us  to  indicate  that 
we  belong  to  Him.  He  is  our  sole  Owner.  And 
if  any  of  us  are  not  allowing  Him  to  have  full  con- 
trol of  His  property,  we  are  dealing  dishonestly. 
Sealed  is  the  property  or  ownership  word. 

The  last  one  of  these  words,  ''earnest,"  is  a  pecu- 
liarly interesting  one.  It  is  found  three  times  in 
Paul's  epistles.2  An  earnest  is  a  pledge  given  in 
advance  as  an  evidence  of  good  faith.  We  are 
familiar  with  the  usage  of  paying  down  a  small  part 
of  the  price  agreed  upon  to  make  a  business  tran- 
saction binding.  In  old  English  it  is  called  caution 
money.  My  mother  has  told  me  of  seeing  her 
mother  many  a  time  pay  a  shilling  in  the  Belfast 
market-house  to  insure  the  delivery  of  a  bag  of 
potatoes,  paying  the  remainder  on  its  delivery. 

1  a  Cor.  i:  22.    Eph.  i:  13;  iv:  30.          *  2  Cor.  i:  22-,  v:  5.    Eph.  i:  14. 


1 54     Making  and  Breaking  Connections. 

Now  here  the  Holy  Spirit  is  called  "the  earnest 
of  our  inheritance  unto  the  redemption  of  the  pur- 
chased possession."  That  means  two  things  to  us: 
First — that  the  Holy  Spirit  now  filling  us  is  Jesus' 
pledge  that  He  has  purchased  us,  and  that  some  day 
He  is  coming  back  to  claim  His  possessions;  and 
then  that  the  measure  of  the  Spirit's  presence  and 
power  now  is  only  a  foretaste  of  a  greater  fullness 
at  the  time  of  coming  back;  a  sort  of  partial  advance 
payment  which  insures  a  payment  in  full  when  the 
transaction  is  completed.  Paul  speaks  of  this  to 
the  Romans  as  the  first  fruits  of  the  Spirit.1 

So,  if  you  will  take  all  five  words  you  will  get  all 
of  the  truth  about  our  friend  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
just  what  His  coming  into  one's  life  means.  The 
first  word,  "baptism,"  is  the  historical  word,  point- 
ing us  back  to  the  day  of  Pentecost.  The  other  four 
words,  taken  together,  tell  us  the  four  sides  of  the 
Holy  Spirit's  relation  to  us  now.  "Filled"  is  the 
experience  word,  pointing  us  inward  to  what  actually 
takes  place  there.  "Anointed"  is  the  power  word, 
pointing  us  outward  to  the  life  and  service  among 
men  to  which  we  are  set  apart.  "Sealed"  is  the 
personal-relation  word,  pointing  us  upward  to  our 
Owner  and  Master.  "Earnest"  is  the  prophetic 
word,  pointing  us  forward  to  the  Master's  coming 
back  to  claim  His  own,  and  to  bestow  the  full  meas- 
ure of  the  Spirit's  presence. 

And  to-night  we  want  to  get  some  hint  of  how  to 

1  Romans  viii:  23. 


Making  and  Breaking  Connections.     155 

have  this  infilling,  which  shall  also  be  an  anointing 
of  power  and  a  seal  of  ownership  and  an  earnest  of 
greater  things  at  Jesus'  return. 


Broken  Couplings. 

But  perhaps  some  one  is  saying,  "Have  not  we  all 
received  the  Holy  Spirit  if  we  are  Christians?" 
Yes,  that  is  quite  true.  It  is  the  Holy  Spirit's 
presence  in  us  that  makes  us  Christians.  His  work 
begins  at  conversion.  Conversion  and  regeneration 
are  the  two  sides  of  the  same  transaction.  Con- 
version, the  human  side:  regeneration,  the  divine 
side.  My  turning  clear  around  to  God  is  my  side, 
and  instantly  His  Spirit  enters  and  begins  His  work. 
But  here  is  a  distinction  to  be  made:  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  in  every  Christian,  but  in  many  He  is  not  allowed 
free  and  full  control,  and  so  there  is  little  or  none 
of  His  power  felt  or  seen.  Only  as  He  has  full  sway 
is  His  power  manifest.  If  at  the  time  of  conversion 
or  decision  there  is  clear  instruction  and  a  whole- 
hearted surrender,  there  will  be  evidence  of  the 
Spirit's  presence  at  once.  And  if  the  new  life  goes 
on  without  break  there  will  be  a  continuance  of  that 
power  in  ever-increasing  measure.  But  many  a 
time,  through  ignorance,  or  through  some  disobedi- 
ence or  failure  to  obey,  there  has  come  a  break,  a 
slipping  of  a  cog  somewhere,  and  so  an  interruption 
of  the  flow  of  power.  Many  a  time  lack  of  instruc- 
tion regarding  the  cultivation  of  the  Spirit's  friend- 


156      Making  and  Breaking  Connections. 

ship  has  resulted  in  just  such  a  break.  And  so  a 
new  start  is  necessary.  Then  a  full  surrender  is 
followed  by  a  new  experience  or,  shall  I  better  say, 
a  re-experience  of  the  Spirit's  presence.  And  this 
new  experience  sometimes  is  so  sharply  marked  as 
to  begin  a  new  epoch  in  the  life.  Some  of  the  no- 
table leaders  of  the  Church  have  gone  through  just 
such  an  experience. 

Yet,  I  know  a  man — have  known  him  somewhat 
intimately  for  years — one  of  the  most  saintly  men  it 
has  been  my  privilege  to  know.  For  some  years  he 
was  a  missionary  abroad,  but  now  is  preaching  in 
this  country.  His  private  personal  life  is  fragrant, 
and  his  public  speech  is  always  accompanied  with 
rare  power.  In  conversation  with  a  young  minister 
at  a  summer  conference,  he  said  he  had  never 
known  this  second  blessing  or  experience  on  which 
such  stress  was  being  laid  there.  And  I  think  I  can 
readily  understand  that  he  had  not.  For,  appar- 
ently, so  far  as  one  can  see,  his  first  surrender  or 
decision  had  been  a  whole-hearted  one.  He  had 
followed  simply,  fully,  as  he  saw  the  way.  There 
had  been  no  break,  but  a  steady  going  on  and  up, 
and  an  ever-increasing  manifestation  of  the  Spirit's 
presence  from  the  time  of  that  first  decision.  So 
that  it  may  be  said,  quite  accurately,  I  think,  that 
in  God's  plan  there  is  no  need  of  any  second  stage, 
but  in  our  actual  experience  there  has  been  a  second 
stage,  and  sometimes  more  than  a  second,  too, 


Making  and  Breaking  Connections.     157 

because  with  so  many  of  us  the  connections  have 
been  broken,  making  a  fresh  act  on  our  part  a 
necessity. 


The  Real  Battlefield. 

But  now  the  main  topic  we  are  to  talk  about  is 
making  and  breaking  connections.  First,  making 
connections  with  the  source  of  power.  How  may 
one  who  has  been  willing  to  go  thus  far  in  these 
talks  go  a  step  further  and  have  power  in  actual 
conscious  possession? 

There  are  many  passages  in  this  old  Book  that 
answer  that  question.  But  let  me  turn  you  to  one 
which  puts  the  answer  in  very  simple  shape.  John's 
gospel,  seventh  chapter,  verses  thirty-seven  to  thirty- 
nine.  Listen:  "Now,  on  the  last  day,  the  great 
day  of  the  feast,  Jesus  stood  and  cried,  saying,  if 
any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me  and  drink. 
He  that  believeth  on  me,  as  the  Scripture  hath  said, 
out  of  his  belly  shall  flow  rivers  of  living  water." 
Then  John,  writing  some  fifty  years  or  so  after- 
wards, adds  what  he  himself  did  not  understand  at 
the  time:  "But  this  spake  He  of  the  Spirit  who 
Jiey  that  believed  on  Him  were  to  receive;  for  not 
yet  was  the  Spirit  given,  because  not  yet  was  Jesus 
glorified." 

There  are  four  words  here  which  tell  the  four 
steps  into  a  new  life  of  power.  Sometimes  these 


158     Making  and  Breaking  Connections. 

steps  are  taken  so  quickly  that  they  seem  in  actual 
experience  like  only  one.  But  that  does  not  matter 
to  us  just  now,  for  we  are  after  the  practical  result. 
Four  words — thirst,  glorified,  drink,  believe — tell 
the  whole  story.  Thirst  means  desire,  intense  de- 
sire. There  is  no  word  in  our  language  so  strong 
to  express  desire  as  the  word  thirst.  Physical  thirst 
will  completely  control  your  actions.  If  you  are 
very  thirsty,  you  can  do  nothing  till  that  gnawing 
desire  is  satisfied.  You  cannot  read,  nor  study,  nor 
talk,  nor  transact  business.  You  are  in  agony  when 
intensely  thirsty.  To  die  of  thirst  is  extremely  pain- 
ful. Jesus  uses  that  word  thirst  to  express  intensest 
desire.  Let  me  ask  you — Are  you  thirsty  for 
power?  Is  there  a  yearning  down  in  your  heart  for 
something  you  have  not?  That  is  the  first  step. 
No  good  to  offer  food  to  a  man  without  appetite. 
"Blessed  are  they  that  hunger  and  thirst."  Pitiable 
are  they  that  need  and  do  not  know  their  need. 
Physicians  find  their  most  difficult  work  in  dealing 
with  the  man  who  has  no  desire  to  live.  He  is  at 
the  lowest  ebb.  Are  you  thirsty?  There  is  a  special 
promise  for  thirsty  ones.  "I  will  pour  water  on  him 
that  is  thirsty."  If  you  are  not  thirsty  for  the 
Master's  power,  are  you  thirsty  to  be  made  thirsty? 
If  you  are  not  really  thirsty  in  your  heart  for  this 
new  life  of  power,  you  might  ask  the  Master  to  put 
that  thirst  in  you.  For  there  can  be  nothing  before 
that. 

The  second  word  is  the  one  added  long  afterwards 


Making  and  Breaking  Connections.     159 

by  John,  when  the  Spirit  had  enlightened  his  under- 
standing— "glorified."  "For  not  yet  was  the  Spirit 
given,  because  not  yet  was  Jesus  glorified."  That 
word  has  two  meanings  here:  the  first  meaning  a 
»  historical  one,  the  second  a  personal  or  experimental 
one.  The  historical  meaning  is  this:  when  Jesus 
returned  home  all  scarred  in  face  and  form  from  His 
trip  to  the  earth,  He  was  received  back  with  great 
enthusiasm,  and  was  glorified  in  the  presence  of 
myriads  of  angel  beings  by  being  enthroned  at  the 
Father's  right  hand.  Then  the  glorified  Jesus  sent 
the  Holy  Spirit  down  to  the  earth  as  His  own  per- 
sonal representative  for  His  new  peculiar  mission. 
The  presence  of  the  Spirit  in  our  hearts  is  evidence 
that  the  Jesus  whom  earth  despised  and  crucified  is 
now  held  in  highest  honor  and  glory  in  that  upper 
world.  The  Spirit  is  the  gift  of  a  glorified  Jesus. 
Peter  lays  particular  stress  upon  this  in  his  Pente- 
cost sermon,  telling  to  those  who  had  so  spitefully 
murdered  Jesus  that  He  "being  at  the  right  hand 
of  God  exalted  ....  hath  poured  forth  this." 
That  is  the  historical  meaning — the  first  meaning — 
of  that  word  "glorified."  It  refers  to  an  event  in 
the  highest  heaven  after  Jesus'  ascension.  The 
personal  meaning  is  this:  when  Jesus  is  enthroned 
in  my  life  the  Holy  Spirit  shall  fill  me.  The  Father 
glorified  Jesus  by  enthroning  Him.  I  must  glorify 
Him  by  enthroning  Him.  But  the  throne  of  my 
heart  was  occupied  by  another  who  did  not  propose 
to  resign,  nor  to  be  deposed  without  resistance.  So 


160     Making  and  Breaking  Connections. 

there  had  to  be  a  dethronement  as  well  as  an  en- 
thronement. I  must  quietly  but  resolutely  place  the 
crown  of  my  life,  my  love,  my  will  upon  Jesus' 
brow  for  Him  henceforth  to  control  me  as  He  will. 
That  act  of  enthroning  Him  carries  with  it  the  de- 
thronement of  self. 

Let  me  say  plainly  that  here  is  the  searching  test 
of  the  whole  matter.  Why  do  you  want  power? 
For  the  rare  enjoyment  of  ecstatic  moods?  For 
some  hidden  selfish  purpose,  like  Simon  of  Samaria, 
of  which  you  are  perhaps  only  half  conscious,  so 
subtly  does  it  lurk  underneath?  That  you  may  be 
able  to  move  men?  These  motives  are  all  selfish. 
The  streams  turn  in,  and  that  means  a  dead  sea. 
Better  stop  before  you  begin.  For  thy  heart  is  not 
right  before  God.  But  if  the  uppermost  and  under- 
most desire  be  to  glorify  Jesus  and  let  Him  do  in 
you,  and  with  you  what  He  chooses,  then  you  shall 
know  the  flooding  of  the  channel-ways  of  your  life 
with  a  new  stream  of  power. 

Jesus  Himself,  when  down  here  as  Son  of  Man, 
met  this  test.  With  reverence  be  it  said  that  His 
highest  purpose  in  coming  to  earth  was  not  to  die 
upon  the  cross,  but  to  glorify  His  Father.  That 
memorable  passage  opening  the  sixty-first  chapter 
of  Isaiah,  which  Jesus  applied  to  Himself  in  the 
Nazareth  synagogue,  contains  eight  or  nine  state- 
ments of  what  He  was  to  do,  but  closes  with  a  com- 
prehensive statement  of  the  underlying  purpose — 
"that  He  might  be  glorified."  As  it  turned  out,  that 


Making  and  Breaking  Connections.     161 

could  best  be  done  by  yielding  to  the  awful  experi- 
ences through  which  He  passed.  But  the  supreme 
thought  of  pleasing  His  Father  was  never  absent 
from  His  thought.  It  drove  Him  to  the  wildernesa, 
and  to  Gethsemane,  and  to  Calvary. 

Is  that  the  one  purpose  in  your  heart  in  desiring 
power?  He  might  send  some  of  us  out  to  the  far- 
off  foreign  mission  field.  He  might  send  some  down 
to  the  less  enchanted  field  of  the  city  slums  to  do 
salvage  service  night  after  night  among  the  awful 
social  weckage  thrown  upon  the  strand  there;  or 
possibly  it  would  mean  an  isolated  post  out  on  the 
frontier,  or  down  in  the  equally  heroic  field  of  the 
mountains  of  the  South.  He  might  leave  some  of 
you  just  where  you  are,  in  a  commonplace,  hum- 
drum spot,  as  you  think,  when  your  visions  had  been 
in  other  fields.  He  might  make  you  a  seed-sower, 
like  lonely  Morrison  in  China,  when  you  wanted  to 
be  a  harvester  like  Moody.  Here  is  the  real  battle- 
field. The  fighting  and  agonizing  are  here.  Not  with 
God  but  with  yourself,  that  the  old  self  in  you  may 
be  crucified  and  Jesus  crowned  in  its  place. 

Will  you  in  the  purpose  of  your  heart  make  Jesus 
absolute  monarch  whatever  that  may  prove  to 
mean?  It  may  mean  great  sacrifice;  it  -will  mean 
greater  joy  and  power  at  once.  May  we  have  the 
simple  courage  to  do  it.  Master,  help  us!  Thou 
wilt  help  us.  Thou  art  helping  some  of  us  now  as 
we  talk  and  listen  and  think. 


1 62     Making  and  Breaking  Connections. 

Power  Manifest  in  Action. 

Well,  then,  if  you  have  won  on  that  field  of 
action,  the  rest  is  very  simple.  Indeed,  after  a 
victory  there,  your  whole  life  moves  up  to  a  new 
level.  The  third  word  is  drink.  "Let  him  come 
unto  Me  and,  drink"  Drinking  is  one  of  the  easiest 
acts  imaginable.  I  wish  I  had  a  glass  of  water  here 
just  to  let  you  see  how  easy  a  thing  it  is.  Tip  up 
the  glass  and  let  the  water  run  in  and  down.  Drink 
simply  means  take.  It  is  saying,  "Lord  Jesus,  I 

take  from  Thee  the  promised  power I  thank 

Thee  that  the  Spirit  has  taken  full  control."  But 
you  say,  "Is  that  all?"  Yes.  "Why,  I  do  not 
feel  anything."  Do  you  remember  saying  some- 
thing like  that  when  you  were  urged  to  take  Jesus 
as  your  Savior?  And  some  kind  friend  told  you  not 
to  wait  for  feeling,  but  to  trust,  and  that  when  you 
did  that,  the  light  came?  Now,  the  fourth  word  is 
'believe.  The  law  of  God's  dealing  with  you  has  not 
changed.  Jesus  says,  "Out  of  his  belly  shall  flow 
rivers  of  living  water."  You  are  to  believe  His 
word.  "But,"  you  say,  "how  shall  I  know  I  have 
this  power?"  Well,  first,  by  believing  that  Jesus 
has  done  what  He  agreed.  He  promised  the  Spirit 
to  them  that  obey  Him.  The  Holy  Spirit  fills  every 
surrendered  heart.  Then  there  is  a  second  way — 
you  will  experience  the  power  as  need  arises.  How 
do  you  know  anything?  Here  is  this  chair.  Sup- 
pose I  tell  you  I  have  power  to  pick  it  up  and  hold 


Making  and  Breaking  Connections.     163 

it  out  at  arm's  length.  Well,  you  think,  I  look  as 
though  I  might  have  that  much  power  in  my  arm. 
But  you  do  not  know.  Perhaps  my  arm  is  weak 
and  does  not  show  it.  But  now  I  pick  it  up  and  hold 
it  out — (holding  chair  out  at  arm's  length) — now 
you  know  I  have  at  least  that  much  power  in  my 
arm.  Power  is  always  manifest  in  action.  That  is  a 
law  of  power.  How  did  that  man  by  the  pool  of 
Bethesda  in  Jerusalem,  who  had  not  walked  for 
thirty-eight  years — how  did  he  know  that  he  had 
received  power  to  walk?  He  got  up  and  walked! 
He  did  not  know  he  had  received  the  power  till  he 
got  up.  Power  is  shown  in  action  always.  Faith 
acts.  It  pushes  out,  in  obedience  to  command. 
And  when  you  go  out  of  here  to-day,  as  the  need 
arises  you  will  find  the  power  rising  within  you  to 
meet  it.  When  the  hasty  word  conies  hot  to  your 
lips,  when  that  old  habit  asserts  itself,  when  the 
actual  test  of  sacrifice  comes,  when  the  opportunity 
for  service  comes,  as  surely  as  the  need  comes,  will 
come  the  sense  of  His  power  in  control.  Believe 
means  expect. 

"Thirst,"  "glorify,"  "drink,"  "believe"— desire, 
enthrone,  accept,  expect — that  is  the  simple  story. 
Are  you  thirsty?  Will  you  put  Jesus  on  the  throne? 
Then  accept,  and  go  out  with  your  eyes  open,  ex- 
pecting, expecting,  expecting,  and  He  will  never  fail 
to  reveal  His  power.  Shall  we  bow  in  silence  a  few 
moments  and  settle  the  matter,  each  of  us,  with  the 
Master  direct? 


164     Making  and  Breaking  Connections. 

Three  Laws  of  Continuous  Power. 

Power  depends  on  good  connections.  In  mechan- 
ics: the  train  with  the  locomotive;  the  machinery 
with  the  engine;  the  electrical  mechanism  with  the 
power  house.  In  the  body :  the  arm  with  the  socket ; 
the  brain  with  the  heart.  In  the  Christian  life  the 
follower  of  Jesus  with  the  Spirit  of  Jesus.  We 
have  been  talking  together  about  making  connec- 
tions, and  I  believe  some  of  us  have  made  the  vital 
connection  this  hour,  which  means  new  inflow  and 
outflow  of  power. 

Now  there  will  be  time  for  only  a  brief  word 
about  breaking  connections.  "But,"  you  say,  "we 
do  not  want  to  break  connections."  No,  you  do 
not.  But  there  is  someone  else  who  does.  Since 
you  have  put  yourself  into  intimate  contact  with 
Jesus  this  someone  else  has  become  intensely  inter- 
ested in  breaking  that  contact.  And  this  enemy 
of  ours,  this  Satan,  the  hater,  is  subtle  and  deep 
and  experienced  and  more  than  a  match  for  any 
of  us.  But  greater  is  He  that  is  now  in  you  than 
he  that  is  in  the  world.  Satan  will  do  his  best  by 
bold  attack  and  cunning  deceit  to  tamper  with  your 
couplings. 

One  of  the  saddest  sights,  and  yet  a  not  uncom- 
mon one,  is  to  see  a  man  who  has  been  mightily 
used  of  God,  but  whose  usefulness  is  now  wholly 
gone.  One  can  run  back  through  only  recent  years 
and  recall,  one  after  another,  those  through  whom 


Making  and  Breaking  Connections.     165 

multitudes  were  blessed,  but  who,  yielding  to  some 
subtle  temptation,  have  utterly  and  forever  lost  their 
opportunity  of  service.  The  same  is  true  of  scores 
in  more  secluded  circles  whose  lives,  spiritually 
blighted  and  dwarfed,  tell  the  same  sad  story. 

These  recent  instances  are  but  repetitions  of  older 
ones.  Three  times  the  writer  of  Judges  tells  of 
Samson  that  "the  spirit  of  the  Lord  came  mightily 
upon  him,"  and  then  is  added  the  pathetic  sentence 
— "but  he  wist  not  that  the  Lord  was  departed  from 
him."  And  between  the  two  occurs  the  story  of  an 
act  of  disobedience.  Twice  the  same  thing  is  re- 
corded of  King  Saul,  "the  spirit  of  God  came 
mightily  upon  him,"  and  the  same  sequel  follows, 
"the  spirit  of  the  Lord  had  departed."  And  be- 
tween the  two  is  found  an  act  of  disobedience  to 
God's  command.  The  ninth  of  Luke  tells  a  similar 
story.  The  disciples  had  been  given  power;  had 
used  the  power  for  others;  were  requested  to  relieve 
a  demonized  boy;  had  tried  to;  had  expected  to; 
but  utterly  failed,  to  their  own  chagrin,  and  the 
father's  disappointment,  amid  the  surprise  and  criti- 
cism of  the  crowd.  The  Master  explains  that  a 
slipshod  connection  with  God  was  at  the  bottom  of 
their  failure.  Power  is  not  stored  in  us  apart  from 
God's  presence.  It  merely  passes  through  as  He 
has  sway.  Once  the  connection  between  Him  and 
you  is  disturbed,  the  flow  of  power  is  interrupted. 
We  do  not  run  on  the  storage  battery  plan,  but  on 
the  trolley  plan.  Constant  communication  with  the 


1 66     Maki-ng  and  Breaking  Connections. 

source  of  power  is  absolutely  essential.  The  spirit 
of  God  never  leaves  us.  We  do  not  lose  His  presence. 
But  whatever  grieves  Him  prevents  His  presence 
being  manifest.  The  evidence  of  His  presence  may 
be  lost  through  wrongdoing.  So  I  want  to  give  you 
in  very  brief  compass  the  three  laws  of  the  life  of 
power — continued  and  increasing  power.  I  wish 
some  one  had  given  them  to  me  long  ago.  It  might 
have  saved  me  many  a  bad  break. 

The  first  law  can  be  put  in  a  single  word — obey. 
Obedience  is  the  great  foundation  law  of  the  Chris- 
tian life.  Indeed  it  is  the  common  fundamental  law 
of  all  organization,  in  nature,  in  military,  naval, 
commercial,  political  and  domestic  circles.  Obedi- 
ence is  the  great  essential  to  securing  the  purpose  of 
life.  Disobedience  means  disaster.  If  you  turn  to 
scripture  you  must  read  almost  every  page  if  you 
would  get  all  the  statements  and  illustrations  of 
obedience  and  its  opposite.  Begin  with  the  third  of 
Genesis,  where  the  first  disastrous  act  of  disobedi- 
ence brought  a  ruin  still  going  on.  Run  through 
the  three  wilderness  books,  where  the  new  nation  is 
grouped  about  the  smoking  mountain.  Listen  in 
Deuteronomy  to  the  old  man  Moses  talking  during 
the  thirty  days'  conference  they  had  in  Moab's 
plains  before  he  was  taken  away.  Then  into 
Joshua's  book  of  victory  and  the  Judges'  dark  story 
of  defeats,  through  the  kingdom  books,  and  the 
prophecies,  and  you  will  find  the  changes  rung  more 
frequently  upon  obedience  than  anything  else.  The 


Making  and  Breaking  Connections.     167 


is  true  of  the  New  Testament  clear  to  the  last 
cohmn  of  the  last  page. 

Tae  fact  is,  every  heart  is  a  battlefield  whose  pos- 
session is  being  hotly  contested.  If  Jesus  is  in 
possess^n  Satan  is  trying  his  best  by  storm  or  strat- 
egy  to  £**  in.  If  Satan  be  in  possession  whether  as 
a  coarse  or  a  cultured  Satan,  then  Jesus  is  lovingly 
storming  the  door.  Satan  can  not  get  in  without 
your  consent,  and  Jesus  -will  not.  An  act  of  obedi- 
ence to  God  is  slamming  the  door  in  Satan's  face, 
and  opening  it  wider  for  Jesus'  control.  Listen 
with  your  heart  !  An  act  of  disobedience,  however 
slight,  as  you  think,  is  slamming  the  door  of  your 
heart  in  Jesus'  face  and  flinging  it  open  to  Satan's 
entrance.  Is  that  mere  rhetoric?  It  is  cold  fact. 
No,  it  is  hot  fact.  The  first  great  simple  law  is 
obedience. 

But  someone  asks,  "How  shall  I  know  what  — 
whom,  to  obey?  Sometimes  the  voices  coming  to 
my  ear  seem  to  be  jarring  voices;  they  do  not  agree. 
Pastors  do  not  all  agree:  churches  are  not  quite 
agreed  on  some  matters:  my  best  friends  think  dif- 
ferently: how  shall  I  know?"  Here  comes  in  the 
second  law,  Obey  the  book  of  God  as  interpreted  by  the 
Spirit  of  God.  Not  the  book  alone.  That  will  lead 
into  superstition.  Not  to  say  the  Spirit  without  the 
book  He  has  indited.  That  will  lead  to  fanaticism. 
But  the  book  as  interpreted  by  the  Spirit,  and  the 
Spirit  as  He  speaks  through  His  book.  There  is  a 
voice  of  God,  and  a  Spirit  of  God  and  a  book  of 


1 68     Making  and  Breaking  Connections. 

God.  God  speaks  by  His  Spirit  through  His  wore. 
Sometimes  He  speaks  directly  without  the  written 
word.  But  very,  very  rarely.  The  mental  impressions 
by  which  the  Spirit  guides  are  frequent.  But  I  am 
speaking  now,  not  of  that  but  of  His  audibte  inner 
voice.  He  is  chary  in  the  use  of  that.  And  when  he 
so  speaks  the  test  is  that,  of  necessity,  the  voice  of 
God  always  agrees  with  itself.  The  spoken  word  is 
never  out  of  harmony  with  the  written  word.  And 
as  He  has  given  us  the  written  word,  it  becomes  our 
standard  of  His  will.  This  book  of  God  was  in- 
spired. It  is  inspired.  God  spoke  in  it.  He  speaks 
in  it  to-day.  You  will  be  surprised  to  find  how  light 
on  every  sort  of  question  will  come  through  this 
in-Spirited  book. 

But  someone  with  a  practical  turn  of  mind  is 
thinking:  "but  it  is  such  a  big  book.  I  do  not  know 
much  about  it.  I  read  the  psalms  some,  and  some 
chapters  in  Isaiah,  and  the  gospels  and  some  in  the 
epistles,  but  I  have  no  grasp  of  the  whole  book; 
and  your  second  law  seems  a  little  beyond  me." 
Then  you  listen  to  the  third  law,  namely:  time  alone 
with  the  book  daily.  It  should  be  unhurried  time. 
Time  enough  not  to  think  about  time.  At  least  a 
half  hour  every  day,  I  would  suggest,  and  prefer- 
ably the  first  half  hour  of  the  morning,  rising  at 
least  early  enough  to  get  this  bit  of  time  before  any 
duty  can  claim  you.  It  may  seem  very  difficult  for 
some.  But  it  is  an  absolute  essential,  for  the  first 
two  laws  depend  on  this  one  for  their  practical  force. 


Making  and  Breaking  Connections.     169 

When  Joshua,  trembling,  was  called  upon  to 
assume  the  stupendous  task  of  being  Moses'  succes- 
sor, God  came  and  had  a  quiet  talk  with  him.  In 
that  talk  He  emphasized  just  one  thing  as  the  secret 
of  his  new  leadership.  Listen:  "This  book  of  the 
law  shall  not  depart  out  of  thy  mouth,  but  thou  shalt 
meditate  therein  day  and  night,  that  thou  mayest 
observe  to  do  according  to  all  that  is  written  therein. ' ' 
There  are  the  three  laws  straight  from  the  lips  of 
God,  packed  into  a  single  sentence. 

Let  us  plan  to  get  alone  with  the  Master  daily 
over  His  word,  with  the  door  shut,  other  things 
shut  out,  and  ourselves  shut  in,  that  we  may  learn 
His  will,  and  get  strength  to  do  it.  And  when  in 
doubt  wait. 


THE  FLOOD-TIDE  OF  POWER. 


THE  FLOOD-TIDE  OF  POWER. 


God 's  Highest  Ideal. 

A  flood-tide  is  a  rising  tide.  It  flows  in  and  fills 
up  and  spreads  out.  Wherever  it  goes  it  cleanses 
and  fertilizes  and  beautifies.  For  untold  centuries 
Egypt  has  depended  for  its  very  life  upon  the  yearly 
flood-tide  of  the  Nile.  The  rich  bottom  lands  of  the 
Connecticut  Valley  are  refertilized  every  spring  by 
that  river's  flood-tide.  The  green  beauty  and  rich 
fruitage  of  some  parts  of  the  Sacramento  Valley, 
whose  soil  is  flooded  by  the  artificial  irrigation-rivers, 
are  in  sharp  contrast  with  adjoining  un watered 
portions. 

The  flood- tide  is  caused  by  influences  from  above. 
In  the  ocean  and  the  portions  of  rivers  under  its  in- 
fluence by  the  heavenly  bodies.  In  the  rivers  by  the 
fall  of  rain  and  snow  swelling  successively  the  upper 
streams  and  lakes. 

God's  highest  ideal  for  men  is  frequently  ex- 
pressed under  the  figure  of  a  river  running  at  flood- 
tide.  Ezekiel's  vision  of  the  future  capital  of  Israel 
gives  prominence  to  a  wonderful  river  gradually 
reaching  flood-tide  and  exerting  untold  influence. 

John's  companion  vision  of  the  future  church  in 
the  closing  chapters  of  Revelation  finds  its  radiating 


174         The  Flood-Tide  of  Power. 

center  in  an  equally  wonderful  river  of  water  of  life. 
When  Jesus  would  give  a  picture  of  a  Christian  man 
up  to  His  ideal  He  exclaims,  "Out  of  his  belly  shall 
flow  rivers  of  living  water."  John's  explanation 
years  after  was  that  He  was  speaking  of  the  Holy 
Spirit's  presence  in  the  human  life.  Jesus'  ideal 
would  put  our  lives  at  the  flood-tide.  No  ebb-tide 
there.  No  rise  and  fall.  But  a  constant  flowing  in 
and  filling  up  and  flooding  out. 

Love  is  ambitious.  God  is  love.  And  therefore 
God  is  ambitious  for  us.  In  the  best  sense  of  the 
word  He  is  ambitious  for  our  lives.  The  old  im- 
pression has  been  that  salvation  is  for  the  soul,  and 
for  heaven.  Well,  it  is  for  the  soul,  and  it  is  for 
heaven,  but  it  is  for  the  present  life  and  for  this 
earth.  Some  of  God's  most  far-reaching  plans 
have  to  do  with  this  earth.  To-night  we  want  to 
get  a  glimpse  of  God's  ambitious  ideal  for  our  lives 
down  here;  something  of  an  understanding  of  the 
results  of  the  unrestrained  presence  within  us  of 
His  Holy  Spirit. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  there  have  been  some 
mistaken  ideas  about  the  results.  It  has  been  a 
common  supposition  that  somehow  the  baptism  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  is  always  connected  with  an  evan- 
gelistic gift  and,  further,  connected  with  marked 
success  in  soul-winning.  Men  have  thought  of  Mr. 
Moody  facing  great  crowds,  who  were  swayed  and 
melted  at  his  words,  and  of  people  in  great  multi- 
tudes accepting  Christ.  Probably  the  world  has 


The  Flood-Tide  of  Power.          175 

never  had  a  finer  illustration  of  a  Spirit-filled  man 
than  in  dear  old  Moody.  And  it  is  not  to  be  won- 
dered at  that  the  rare  evangelistic  gift  of  service 
with  which  he  was  endowed  and  the  great  results 
attending  it  should  be  so  closely  allied  in  our  minds 
with  the  Spirit-filled  life  which  he  exemplified  so 
unusually.  In  sharp  contrast  however  with  that 
conception  will  you  note  that  we  are  told  over  here 
in  Exodus  of  a  man  named  Bezalel l  who  was  filled 
with  the  Spirit  of  God  that  he  might  have  skill  in 
carpentry,  in  metal  working,  and  weaving  of  fine 
fabrics,  for  the  construction  of  the  old  tent  of  God. 
Will  you  note  further  that  a  company  of  seventy 
men 2  were  filled  in  a  like  manner  that  they  might  be 
skilled  in  conducting  the  business  affairs  of  the 
nation;  and  that  Luke  tells  of  Elizabeth 3  being  filled 
that  she  might  become  a  true  mother  for  John. 

A  second  misconception  has  been  that  marked 
success  always  accompanies  the  Spirit's  control. 
In  contrast  with  that  will  you  please  note  the  results 
in  some  of  the  Spirit-swayed  men  whom  God  used 
in  Bible  times.  Isaiah  was  called  to  a  service  that 
was  to  be  barren  of  results,  though  long  continued; 
and  Jeremiah's  was  not  only  fruitless  but  with  great 
personal  peril.  Jesus'  public  work  led  through  a 
rough  path  to  a  crown  of  thorns  and  a  cross. 
Stephen's  testimony  brought  him  a  storm  of  stones. 
And  Paul  passed  through  great  danger  and  distress 

1  Exodus  xxxi:  1-5. 
*  Numbers  xi:  16, 17. 
»  Luke  i:  13-17. 4^ 


176         The  Flood-Tide  of  Power. 

to  a  cell,  and  beyond,  a  keen-edged  ax.  These  are 
leaders  among  Spirit-filled  men. 

Paul's  teaching  in  the  Corinthian  epistle  helps  one 
to  a  clear  understanding  about  results.  He  explains 
that  while  it  is  one  Spirit  dwelling  in  all  who 
acknowledge  Jesus  as  Lord,  yet  the  evidence  of  His 
presence  differs  widely  in  different  persons.  It  is 
one  God  working  all  things  in  all  persons,  but  with 
great  variety  in  the  gifts  bestowed,  in  the  service 
with  which  they  are  intrusted,  and  in  the  inner  ex- 
periences they  are  conscious  of.1 

What  results  then  may  be  expected  to  follow  the 
filling  of  the  Holy  Spirit?  It  may  be  said  in  a  sen- 
tence that  Jesus  fills  us  with  the  same  Spirit  that 
filled  Himself  that  He  may  work  out  in  us  His  own 
image  and  ideal,  and  make  use  of  us  in  His  passion- 
ate reaching  out  after  others.  If  we  attempt  to 
analyze  these  results  we  shall  find  them  falling  into 
three  groups.  First — results  in  the  life,  that  is  in 
the  inner  experiences,  and  the  habits.  Second — 
results  in  the  personality,  that  is  in  the  appearance, 
and  the  mental  faculties.  Third — results  in  service. 
Let  us  look  a  little  at  each  of  these. 

A  Transfigured  Life. 

First  regarding  the  inner  experiences.  Without 
doubt  the  first  result  experienced  will  be  a  new  sense 
of  peace:  a  glad,  quiet  stillness  of  spirit  which  noth- 

1 1  Cor.  xii:  4-6,11. 


The  Flood-Tide  of  Power.         177 

ing  seems  able  to  disturb.  The  heart  will  be  filled 
with  a  peace  still  as  the  stars,  calm  as  the  night, 
deep  as  the  sea,  fragrant  as  the  flowers. 

How  many  thousands  of  lips  have  lovingly  lingered 
over  those  sweet  strong  words:  "The  peace  of  God, 
which  passeth  all  understanding,  shall  guard  your 
heart  and  thought  in  Christ  Jesus."  It  is  God's 
peace.  It  acts  as  an  armed  guard  drawn  up  around 
heart  and  thoughts  to  keep  unrest  out.  It  is  too 
subtle  for  intellectual  analysis,  but  it  steals  into  and 
steadies  the  heart.  You  cannot  understand  it  but 
you  can  feel  it.  You  cannot  get  hold  of  it  with 
your  head,  but  you  can  with  your  heart.  You 
do  not  get  it.  It  gets  you.  You  need  not  under- 
stand in  order  to  experience.  Blessed  are  they  that 
have  not  understood  and  yet  have  yielded  and 
experienced. 

"Peace  beginning  to  be 

Deep  as  the  sleep  of  the  sea 
When  the  stars  their  faces  glass 

In  its  blue  tranquillity: 
Hearts  of  men  upon  earth 
That  rested  not  from  their  birth 
To  rest,  as  the  wild  waters  rest, 
With  the  colors  of  heaven  on  their  breast." 

With  that  will  come  a  new  intense  longing  to  do 
the  Master's  will;  to  please  Him.  As  the  days 
come  and  go  this  will  come  to  be  the  master-passion 
of  this  new  life.  It  will  drive  one  with  a  new  pur- 
pose and  zest  to  studying  the  one  book  which  tells 


178         The  Flood-Tide  of  Power. 

His  will.  That  book  becomes  literally  the  book  of 
books  to  the  Spirit-dominated  man. 

With  that  will  come  a  new  desire  to  talk  with  this 
new  Master,  who  talks  to  you  in  His  word,  and  is 
ever  at  your  side  sympathetically  listening.  His 
book  reveals  Himself.  And  better  acquaintance 
with  Him  will  draw  you  oftener  aside  for  a  quiet 
talk.  The  pleasure  of  praying  will  grow  by  leaps 
and  bounds.  Nothing  so  inspires  to  prayer  as 
reverent  listening  to  His  voice.  Frequent  use  of 
the  ears  will  result  in  more  frequent  use  of  the 
voice  in  prayer  and  praise.  And  more:  Prayer  will 
come  to  be  a  part  of  service.  Intercession  will 
become  the  life  mission. 

But  I  must  be  frank  enough  to  tell  you  of  another 
result,  which  is  as  sure  to  come  as  these — there  will 
be  conflict.  You  will  be  tempted  more  than  ever. 
Temptations  will  come  with  the  subtlety  of  a  snake ; 
with  the  rush  of  a  storm;  with  the  unexpected  swift- 
ness of  a  lightning  flash.  You  see  the  act  of  sur- 
render to  Jesus  is  a  notice  of  fight  to  another.  You 
have  changed  masters,  and  the  discarded  master 
does  not  let  go  easily.  He  is  a  trained,  toughened 
fighter.  You  will  think  that  you  never  had  so  many 
temptations,  so  strong,  so  subtle,  so  trying,  so  unex- 
pected. But  listen — there  will  be  victory!  Truth 
goes  in  pairs.  You  will  be  tempted.  The  devil  will 
attend  to  that.  That  is  one  truth.  Its  companion 
truth  is  this :  you  will  be  victorious  over  temptation 
as  the  new  Master  has  sway.  Your  new  Master 


The  Flood-Tide  of  Power.         179 

will  attend  to  that.  Great  and  cunning  and  strong 
is  the  tempter.  Do  not  underrate  him.  But  greater 
is  He  that  is  in  you.  You  cannot  overrate  Him. 
He  got  the  victory  at  every  turn  during  those  thirty- 
three  years,  and  will  get  it  for  you  as  many  years 
and  turns  as  shall  make  out  the  span  of  your  life. 
Your  one  business  will  be  to  let  Him  have  full 
control. 

Still  another  result,  of  the  surprising  sort,  will  be 
a  new  feeling  about  sin.  There  will  be  an  increased 
and  increasing  sensitiveness  to  sin.  It  will  seem  so 
hateful  whether  coarse  or  cultured.  You  will  shrink 
from  contact  with  it.  There  will  also  be  a  growing 
sense  of  the  sinjulness  of  that  old  heart  of  yours, 
even  while  you  may  be  having  constant  victory  over 
temptation.  Then,  too,  there  will  grow  up  a  yearn- 
ing, oh!  such  a  heart-yearning  as  cannot  be  told  in 
words,  to  be  pure,  really  pure  in  heart. 

A  seventh  result  will  be  an  intense  desire  to  get 
others  to  know  your  wonderful  Master.  A  desire 
so  strong,  gripping  you  so  tremendously,  that  all 
thought  of  sacrifice  will  sink  out  of  sight  in  its 
achievement.  He  is  such  a  Master!  so  loving,  so 
kind,  so  wondrous!  And  so  many  do  not  know 
Him:  have  wrong  ideas  about  Him.  If  they  only 
knew  Him — that  surely  would  settle  it.  And  prob- 
ably these  two — the  desire  to  please  Him,  and  the 
desire  to  get  others  to  know  Him  will  take  the 
mastery  of  your  ambition  and  life. 


180         The  Flood-Tide  of  Power. 

The  All- Inclusive  Passion. 

But  all  of  these  and  much  more  is  included  in  one 
of  Paul's  packed  phrases  which  may  be  read,  "the 
love  of  God  hath  flooded  our  hearts  through  the  Holy 
Spirit  given  unto  us."1  The  all-inclusive  result  is 
love.  That  marvelous  tender  passion — the  love  of 
God — heightless,  depthless,  shoreless,  shall  flood 
our  hearts,  making  us  as  gentle  and  tender-hearted 
and  self-sacrificing  and  gracious  as  He.  Every 
phase  of  life  will  become  a  phase  of  love.  Peace  is 
love  resting.  Bible  study  is  love  reading  its  lover's 
letters.  Prayer  is  love  keeping  tryst.  Conflict 
with  sin  is  love  jealously  fighting  for  its  Lover. 
Hatred  of  sin  is  love  shrinking  from  that  which 
separates  from  its  lover.  Sympathy  is  love  tenderly 
feeling.  Enthusiasm  is  love  burning.  Hope  is  love 
expecting.  Patience  is  love  waiting.  Faithfulness  is 
love  sticking  fast.  Humility  is  love  taking  its  true 
place.  Modesty  is  love  keeping  out  of  sight.  Soul- 
winning  is  love  pleading. 

Love  is  revolutionary.  It  radically  changes  us, 
and  revolutionizes  our  spirit  toward  all  others. 
Love  is  democratic.  It  ruthlessly  levels  all  class  dis- 
tinctions. Love  is  intensely  practical.  It  is  always 
hunting  something  to  do.  Paul  lays  great  stress  on 
this  outer  practical  side.  Do  you  remember  his 
"fruit  of  the  Spirit"?2  It  is  an  analysis  of  love. 

1  Rom.  v:  5. 
•  Gal.  7:22-23. 


The  Flood-Tide  of  Power.         1 8 1 

While  the  first  three — "love,  joy,  peace" — are  emo- 
tions within,  the  remaining  six  are  outward  toward 
others.  Notice,  "long-suffering,  gentleness,  good- 
ness, faithfulness,  meekness,"  and  then  the  climax  is 
reached  in  the  last — ' ' self-control. ' '  And  in  his  great 
love  passage  in  the  first  Corinthian  epistle,1  he  picks 
out  four  of  these  last  six,  and  shows  further  just 
what  he  means  by  love  in  its  practical  working  in 
the  life.  "Long-suffering"  is  repeated,  and  so  is 
"kindness"  or  "goodness."  "Faithfulness"  is  re- 
produced in  "never  faileth."  Then  "self-control" 
receives  the  emphasis  of  an  eight-fold  repetition  of 
"nots."  Listen: — "Envieth  not,"  "boast eth not," 
"not  puffed  up,"  "not  unseemly,"  "seeketh  not 
(even)  her  own, "  "is  not  provoked,"  "taketh  not 
account  of  evil"  (in  trying  to  help  others,  like  Jesus' 
word  "despairing  of  no  man"  *),  "rejoiceth  not  in  un- 
righteousness" (that  is  when  the  unrighteous  is  pun- 
ished, but  instead  feels  sorry  for  him).  What 
tremendous  power  of  self-mastery  in  those  "nots"! 
Then  the  positive  side  is  brought  out  in  four  "alls"; 
two  of  them — the  first  and  last — passive  qualities, 
"beareth  all  things,"  "endureth  all  things."  And 
in  between,  two  active  "hopeth  all  things,"  " be- 
lie veth  all  things."  The  passive  qualities  doing 
sentinel  duty  on  both  sides  of  the  active.  These 
passive  traits  are  inteasely  active  in  their  passivity. 
There  is  a  busy  time  under  the  surface  of  those 

1  i  Cor.  xiii. 

*  Luke  vi:  35.  R.  V.,  margin. 


1 82         The  Flood-Tide  of  Power. 

"nots"  and  "alls."  What  a  wealth  of  underlying 
power  they  reveal!  Sometimes  folks  think  it  senti- 
mental to  talk  of  love.  Probably  it  is  of  some  stuff 
that  shuffles  along  under  that  name.  But  when  the 
Holy  Spirit  talks  about  it,  and  fills  our  hearts  with 
it  there  is  seen  to  be  an  intensely  practical  passion 
at  work. 

Love  is  not  only  the  finest  fruit,  but  it  is  the  final 
test  of  a  Christian  life.  How  many  splendid  men 
of  God  have  seemed  to  lack  here.  What  a  giant  of 
faith  and  strength  Elijah  was.  Such  intense  indig- 
nation over  sin!  Such  fearless  denunciation!  What 
tremendous  faith  gripping  the  very  heavens!  What 
marvelous  power  in  prayer.  Yet  listen  to  him  criti- 
cising the  faithful  remnant  whom  God  lovingly 
defends  against  his  aspersions.  There  seems  a  seri- 
ous lack  there.  God  seems  to  understand  his  need. 
He  asks  him  to  slip  down  to  Horeb  for  a  new  vision 
of  his  Master.  And  then  He  revealed  Himself  not 
in  whirlwind  nor  earthquake  nor  lightning.  He 
doubtless  felt  at  home  among  these  tempestuous 
outbreaks.  They  suit  his  temper.  But  something 
startlingly  new  came  to  him  in  that  exquisite  "sound 
of  gentle  stillness,"  hushing,  awing,  mellowing, 
giving  a  new  conception  of  the  dominant  heart  of 
his  God.  Some  of  us  might  well  drop  things,  and 
take  a  run  down  to  Horeb. 

I  know  an  earnest  scholarly  minister  with  strong 
personality,  and  fearless  in  his  preaching  against  sin, 
but  who  seems  to  lack  this  spirit  of  love.  He  is  so 


The  Flood-Tide  of  Power.         1 83 

cuttingly  critical  at  times.  The  other  ministers  of 
his  town  whom  he  might  easily  lead,  shy  off  from 
him.  There  is  no  magnetism  in  the  edge  of  a  razor. 
His  critical  spirit  can  be  felt  when  his  lips  are  shut. 
I  recall  a  woman,  earnest,  winsome  when  she 
chooses  to  be,  an  intelligent  Bible  student,  keen- 
scented  for  error,  a  generous  giver,  but  what  a 
sharp  edge  her  tongue  has.  One  is  afraid  to  get 
close  lest  it  may  cut. 

When  the  Holy  Spirit  takes  possession  there  is 
love,  aye,  more,  a  flood  of  love.  Have  you  ever 
seen  a  flood?  I  remember  one  in  the  Schuylkill 
during  my  boyhood  days  and  how  it  impressed  me. 
Those  who  live  along  the  valley  of  that  treacherous 
mountain  stream,  the  Ohio,  know  something  of  the 
power  of  a  flood.  How  the  waters  come  rushing 
down,  cutting  out  new  channels,  washing  down  rub- 
bish, tearing  valuable  property  from  its  moorings, 
ruling  the  vaJley  autocratically  while  men  stand  back 
entirely  helpless. 

Would  you  care  to  have  a  ilood-tide  of  love  flush 
the  channelways  of  your  life  like  that?  It  would 
clean  out  something  you  have  preferred  keeping.  It 
would  with  quiet,  ruthless  strength,  tear  some  prized 
possessions  from  their  moorings  and  send  them  adrift 
down  stream  and  out.  Its  high  waters  would  put 
out  some  of  the  fires  on  the  lower  levels.  Better 
think  a  bit  before  opening  the  sluice-ways  for  that 
flood.  But  ah!  it  will  sweeten  and  make  fragrant. 
It  will  cut  new  channels,  and  broaden  and  deepen 


1 84         The  Flood-Tide  of  Power. 

old  ones.  And  what  a  harvest  will  follow  in  its 
wake.  Floods  are  apt  to  do  peculiar  things.  So  does 
this  one.  It  washes  out  the  friction-grit  from  be- 
tween the  wheels.  It  does  not  dull  the  edge  of  the 
tongue,  but  washes  the  bitter  out  of  the  mouth,  and 
the  green  out  of  the  eye.  It  leaves  one  deaf  and  blind 
in  some  matters,  but  much  keener-sighted  and 
quicker-eared  in  others.  Strange  flood  that! 
Would  that  we  all  knew  more  of  it. 

The  Fullness  of  the  Stature  of  a  Man. 

Now  note  some  of  the  changes  in  the  personality 
which  attend  the  Spirit's  unrestrained  presence. 
Without  doubt  the  face  will  change,  though  it  might 
be  difficult  to  describe  the  change.  That  Spirit 
within  changes  the  look  of  the  eye.  His  peace 
within  the  heart  will  affect  the  flow  of  blood  in  the 
physical  heart,  and  so  in  turn  the  clearness  of  the 
complexion.  The  real  secret  of  winsome  beauty  is 
here.  That  new  dominant  purpose  will  modulate  the 
voice,  and  the  whole  expression  of  the  face,  and  the 
touch  of  the  hand,  and  the  carriage  of  the  body.  And 
yet  the  one  changed  will  be  least  conscious  of  it,  if 
conscious  at  all.  Neither  Moses  nor  Stephen  knew 
of  their  transfigured  faces. 

It  is  of  peculiar  interest  to  note  the  changes  in 
the  mental  make-up.  It  may  be  said  positively  that 
the  original  group  of  mental  faculties  remain  the  same. 
There  seems  to  be  nothing  to  indicate  that  any 


The  Flood-Tide  of  Power.          .185 

change  takes  place  in  one's  natural  endowment. 
No  faculty  is  added  that  nature  had  not  put  there, 
and  certainly  none  removed. 

But  it  is  very  clear  that  there  is  a  marked  develop- 
ment of  these  natural  gifts,  and  that  this  change  is 
brought  about  by  the  putting  in  of  a  new  and  tremen- 
dous motive  power,  which  radically  affects  everything 
it  touches. 

Regarding  this  development  four  facts  may  be 
noted. 

First  fact: — Those  faculties  or  talents  which  may 
hitherto  have  lain  latent,  unmatured,  are  aroused  into 
use.  Most  men  have  large  undeveloped  resources, 
and  endowments.  Many  of  us  are  one-sided  in  our 
development.  We  are  strangers  to  the  real  possible 
self  within,  unconscious  of  some  of  the  powers  with 
which  we  are  endowed  and  intrusted.  The  Holy 
Spirit,  when  given  a  free  hand,  works  out  the 
fullness  of  the  life  that  has  been  put  in.  The 
change  will  not  be  in  the  sort  but  in  the  size,  and 
that  not  by  an  addition  but  by  a  growth  of  what  is 
there. 

Moses  complains  that  he  is  slow  of  speech  and  of 
a  slow  tongue.  God  does  not  promise  a  new  tongue 
but  that  he  will  be  with  him  and  train  his  tongue. 
Listen  to  him  forty  years  after  in  the  Moab  Plains, 
as  with  brain  fired,  and  tongue  loosened  and  trained 
he  gives  that  series  of  farewell  talks  fairly  burning 
with  eloquence.  Students  of  oratory  can  find  no 
nobler  specimens  than  Deuteronomy  furnishes.  The 


1 86         The  Flood-Tide  of  Power. 

unmatured  powers  lying  dormant  had  been  aroused 
to  full  growth  by  the  indwelling  Spirit  of  God. 

Saintly  Dr.  A.  J.  Gordon,  whose  face  was  as 
surely  transfigured  as  was  Moses'  or  Stephen's, 
used  to  say  that  in  his  earlier  years  he  had  no  execu- 
tive ability.  Men  would  say  of  him,  "Well,  Gordon 
can  preach  but — "  intimating  that  he  could  not  do 
much  else;  not  much  of  the  practical  getting  of 
things  done  in  his  makeup.  When  he  was  offered 
the  chairmanship  of  the  missionary  committee  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  he  promptly  declined  as  being 
utterly  unfit  for  such  a  task.  Finally  with  reluc- 
tance he  accepted,  and  for  years  he  guided  and 
molded  with  rare  sagacity  the  entire  scheme  of  mis- 
sionary operation  of  the  great  Baptist  Church  of  the 
North.  He  was  accustomed  with  rare  frankness 
and  modesty  to  speak  of  the  change  in  himself  as  an 
illustration  of  how  the  Spirit  develops  talents  which 
otherwise  had  lain  unsuspected  and  unused. 

The  second  fact:  ALL  of  one's  faculties  will  be 
developed  to  the  highest  normal  pitch.  Not  only  the 
undeveloped  faculties,  but  those  already  developed 
will  know  a  new  life.  That  new  presence  within 
will  sharpen  the  brain,  and  fire  the  imagination.  It 
will  make  the  logic  keener,  the  will  steadier,  the 
executive  faculty  more  alert. 

The  civil  engineer  will  be  more  accurate  in  his 
measurements  and  calculations.  The  scientific  man 
more  keenly  observant  of  facts,  better  poised  in  his 
generalization  upon  them,  and  more  convincing  in 


The  Flood-Tide  of  Power.         1 87 

his  demonstrations.  The  locomotive  engineer  will 
handle  his  huge  machine  more  skillfully.  The  road 
saves  money  in  having  a  Christian  hand  on  the 
throttle.  The  lawyer  will  be  more  thorough  in  his 
sifting  of  evidence,  and  more  convincing  in  the 
planning  of  his  cases.  The  business  man  will  be  even 
more  sharply  alive  to  business.  The  college  student 
can  better  grasp  his  studies,  and  write  with  stronger 
thought  and  clearer  diction.  The  cook  will  get  a 
finer  flavor  into  the  food.  And  so  on  to  the  end  of 
the  list.  Why?  Not  by  any  magic,  but  simply  and 
only  because  man  was  created  to  be  animated  and 
dominated  by  the  Spirit  of  God.  That  is  his  nor- 
mal condition.  The  Spirit  of  God  is  his  natural 
atmosphere.  The  machine  works  best  when  run 
under  the  inventor's  immediate  direction.  Only  as 
a  man — any  man — is  swayed  by  the  Holy  Spirit, 
will  his  powers  rise  to  their  best.  And  a  man  is  not 
doing  his  best,  however  hardworking  and  conscien- 
tious, and  therefore  not  fair  to  his  own  powers,  who 
lives  otherwise. 

Some  one  may  enter  the  objection,  that  many  of 
the  keenest  men  with  finely  disciplined  powers  may 
be  found  among  non-christian  men.  But  he  should 
remember  two  facts,  first,  that  a  like  truth  holds 
good  in  the  opposite  camp.  There  are  undoubtedly 
men  whose  genius  is  brilliant  because  inspired  by  an 
evil  spirit.  There  are  cultured  scholarly  men,  and 
keen  shrewd  business  men  who  have  yielded  their 
powers  to  another  than  God  and  are  greatly  assisted 


1 8  8         The  Flood-Tide  of  Power. 

by  evil  spirits,  though  it  is  quite  likely  that  they  are 
not  conscious  that  this  is  the  true  analysis  of  their 
success. 

The  second  fact  to  note  is  that  no  matter  how  keen 
or  developed  a  man's  powers  may  be  either  as  just 
suggested,  or,  by  dint  of  native  strength  and  of  his 
own  effort  they  are  still  of  necessity  less  than  they 
would  be  if  swayed  by  the  Spirit  of  God.  For  man 
is  created  to  be  indwelt  and  inspired  by  God's  Spirit, 
and  his  powers  can  not  be  at  their  best  pitch  save  as 
the  conditions  of  their  creation  are  met. 

The  third  fact : — There  will  be  a  gradual  bringing 
back  to  their  normal  condition  0}  those  faculties  which 
have  been  dwarfed,  or  warped,  or  abnormally  devel- 
oped through  sin  and  selfishness.  Sometimes  these 
moral  twists  and  quirks  in  our  mental  faculties  are 
an  inheritance  through  one  or  more  generations. 
The  man  with  excessive  egotism  often  carries  the 
evidence  of  it  in  the  very  shape  of  his  head.  But 
as  he  yields  to  the  new  Spirit  dominant  within,  a 
spirit  of  humility,  of  modesty  will  gradually  displace 
so  much  of  the  other  as  is  abnormal.  The  man  of 
superficial  mind  will  be  deepened  in  his  mental  pro- 
cesses. The  man  of  hasty  judgment  or  poor  judg- 
ment will  grow  careful  in  his  conclusions.  The  lazy 
man  will  get  a  new  lease  of  ambition  and  energy. 

These  results  will  be  gradual,  as  all  of  God's  pro- 
cesses are.  Sometimes  painfully  gradual,  and  will 
be  strictly  in  proportion  as  the  man  yields  himself 
unreservedly  to  the  control  of  the  indwelling  Spirit. 


The  Flood-Tide  of  Power.         189 

And  the  process  will  be  by  the  injection  of  a  new 
and  mighty  motive  power.  The  shallow-minded 
man  will  have  an  intense  desire  to  study  God's  won- 
drous classic  so  as  to  learn  His  will.  And  though 
his  studies  may  not  get  much  farther,  yet  no  one 
book  so  disciplines  and  deepens  the  mind  as  that. 
The  lazy  man  will  find  a  fire  kindling  in  his  bones 
to  please  his  Master  and  do  something  for  Him, 
that  will  burn  through  and  burn  up  his  indolence. 
The  man  of  hasty  judgment  will  find  himself  stop- 
ping to  consider  what  his  Master  would  desire. 
And  the  mere  pause  to  think  is  a  long  step  toward 
more  accurate  jwdgment.  He  will  become  a  rever- 
ent student  of  the  word  of  God,  and  nothing  corrects 
the  judgment  like  that. 

The  self-willed,  headstrong  man  will  likely  have 
the  toughest  time  of  any.  To  let  his  own  plan 
utterly  go,  and  instead  fit  into  a  radically  different 
one  will  shake  him  up  terrifically.  But  that  mighty 
One  within  will  lovingly  woo  and  move  him.  And 
as  he  yields,  and  victory  comes,  he  will  be  delighted 
to  find  that  the  highest  act  of  the  strongest  will  is  in 
yielding  to  a  higher  will  when  found.  He  will  be 
charmed  to  discover  that  the  rarest  liberty  comes 
only  in  perfect  obedience  to  perfect  law. 

And  so  every  sort  of  man  who  has  gotten  some 
moral  twist  or  obliquity  in  his  mental  make-up  will 
be  straightened  out  to  the  normal  standard  of  his 
Maker,  as  he  allows  Him  to  lake  full  control. 

The  fourth  fact : — All  this  growth  and  development 


190         The  Flood-Tide  of  Power. 

will  be  strictly  along  the  groove  of  the  man's  natural 
endowment.  The  natural  mental  bent  will  not  be 
changed  though  the  moral  crooks  will  be  straight- 
ened out.  Peter's  rash,  self-assertive  twists  are 
corrected,  but  he  remains  the  same  Peter  mentally. 
He  does  not  possess  the  rare  logical  powers  of  Paul, 
nor  the  judicial  administrative  temper  of  James, 
before  the  infilling,  and  is  not  endowed  with  either 
after  that  experience.  John's  intensity  which 
would  call  down  fire  to  burn  up  supposed  foes  is 
not  removed  but  turned  into  another  channel,  and 
burns  itself  out  in  love.  Jonathan  Edwards  retains 
and  develops  his  marvelous  faculty  of  metaphysical 
reasoning  and  uses  it  to  influence  men  for  God. 
Finney's  intensely  logical  mind  is  not  changed  but 
fired  and  used  in  the  same  direction. 

Moody  has  neither  of  these  gifts,  but  has  an  un- 
usually magnetic  presence,  and  a  great  executive 
faculty  which  leaves  its  impress  on  his  blunt  direct 
speech.  His  faculties  are  not  changed,  nor  added  to, 
but  developed  wonderfully  and  used.  Geo.  Mueller 
never  becomes  a  great  preacher  like  these  three; 
nor  an  expositor,  but  finds  his  rare  development 
in  his  marked  administrative  skill.  Charles  Studd 
remains  a  poor  speaker  with  jagged  rhetoric  and 
with  no  organizing  knack,  though  the  fire  of  God 
in  his  presence  kindles  the  flames  of  mission  zeal 
in  the  British  universities,  and  melts  your  heart 
as  you  listen.  Shaftsbury's  mental  processes  show 
the  generations  of  aristocratic  breeding  even  in  his 


The  Flood-Tide  of  Power.         191 

costermonger's  cart  lovingly  winning  these  men,  or 
after  midnight  searching  out  the  waifs  of  London's 
nooks  and  docks.  Clough  is  refused  by  the  mis- 
sionary board  because  of  his  lack  of  certain  required 
qualifications,  and  when  finally  he  reaches  the  field 
none  of  these  qualities  appears,  but  his  skill  as  an 
engineer  gives  him  a  hold  upon  thousands  whom  his 
presence  and  God-breathed  passion  for  souls  win  to 
Jesus  Christ.  Carey's  unusual  linguistic  talent, 
Mary  Lyon's  teaching  gift  are  not  changed  but 
developed  and  used.  The  growth  produced  by  the 
Spirit's  presence  is  strictly  along  the  groove  of  the 
natural  gift.  But  note  that  in  this  great  variety  of 
natural  endowment  there  is  one  trait — a  moral  trait, 
not  a  mental — that  marks  all  alike,  namely  a  per- 
vading purpose,  that  comes  to  be  a  passion,  to  do 
God's  will,  and  get  men  to  know  Him,  and  that 
everything  is  forced  to  bend  to  this  dominant  pur- 
pose. Is  not  this  glorious  unity  in  diversity? 

Saved  and  Sent  to  Serve. 

The  third  group  of  results  affects  our  service. 
We  will  want  to  serve.  Love  must  act.  We  must  do 
something  for  our  Master.  We  must  do  something 
for  those  around  us.  There  will  be  a  new  spirit  of 
service.  Its  peculiar  characteristic  and  charm  will  be 
the  heart  o]  love  in  it.  Love  will  envelop  and  under- 
gird  and  pervade  and  exude  from  all  service.  There 
will  be  a  fine  graciousness,  a  patience,  a  strong 


192         The  Flood-Tide  of  Power. 

tenderness,  an  earnest  faithfulness,  a  hopeful  tire- 
lessness  which  will  despair  of  no  man,  and  of  no 
situation. 

The  sort  of  service  and  the  sphere  of  service  will 
be  left  entirely  to  the  direction  of  the  indwelling 
Holy  Spirit,  "dividing  to  every  man  as  He  will." 
There  will  be  no  choosing  of  a  life  work  but  a 
prayerful  waiting  till  His  choice  is  clear,  and  then  a 
joyous  acceptance  of  that.  There  will  be  no  attempt 
to  open  doors,  not  even  with  a  single  touch  or  twist 
of  the  knob,  but  only  an  entering  of  opened  doors. 

If  the  work  be  humble,  or  the  place  lowly,  or 
both,  there  will  be  a  cheery  eager  using  of  the 
highest  powers  keyed  to  their  best  pitch.  If  higher 
up,  a  steady  remembering  that  there  can  be  no 
power  save  as  the  Spirit  controls,  and  a  praying  to 
be  kept  from  the  dizziness  which  unaccustomed 
height  is  apt  to  produce.  Large  quantities  of  paper 
and  ink  will  be  saved.  For  many  letters  of  applica- 
tion and  indorsement  will  remain  unwritten. 

The  Master's  say-so  is  accepted  by  Spirit-led  men 
as  final.  He  chooses  Peter  to  open  the  door  to  the 
outer  nations,  and  Paul  to  enter  the  opened  door. 
He  chooses  not  an  apostle  but  Philip  to  open  up 
Samaria,  and  Titus  to  guide  church  matters  in 
Crete.  A  miner's  son  is  chosen  to  shake  Europe, 
and  a  cobbler  to  kindle  anew  the  missionary  fires  of 
Christendom.  Livingston  is  sent  to  open  up  the 
heart  of  Africa  for  a  fresh  infusion  of  the  blood  of 
the  Son  of  God.  A  nurse-maid,  whose  name  re- 


The  Flood-Tide  of  Power.          193 

mains  unknown,  is  used  to  mold  for  God  the  child 
who  became  the  seventh  Earl  of  Shaftsbury,  one  of 
the  most  truly  Spirit-filled  men  of  the  world. 
Geo.  Mueller  is  chosen  for  the  signal  service  of 
re-teaching  men  that  God  still  lives  and  actually 
answers  prayer.  Speer  is  used  to  breathe  a  new 
spirit  of  devotion  among  college  students,  and  Mott 
to  arouse  and  organize  their  service  around  the 
world.  Geo.  Williams  and  Robert  McBurney 
become  the  leaders,  British  and  American,  in  an 
in-Spirited  movement  to  win  young  men  by  thou- 
sands. An  earnest  woman  is  chosen  to  mother  and 
to  shape  for  God  the  tender  years  of  earth's  greatest 
queen,  who  through  character  and  position  exerted 
a  greater  influence  for  righteousness  than  any  other 
woman.  The  common  factor  in  all  is  the  Chooser. 
Jesus  is  the  Chief  Executive  of  the  campaign  through 
His  Spirit.  The  direction  of  it  belongs  to  Him.  He 
knows  best  what  each  one  can  do.  He  knows  best 
what  needs  to  be  done.  He  is  ambitious  that  each  of 
us  shall  be  the  best,  and  have  the  best.  He  has  a 
plan  thought  out  for  each  life,  and  for  the  whole 
campaign.  His  Spirit  is  in  us  to  administer  His 
plan.  He  never  sleeps.  He  divideth  to  every  man 
severally  as  He  will.  And  His  is  a  loving,  wise  will. 
It  can  be  trusted. 

A  Spirit-mastered  man  slowly  comes  to  under- 
stand that  service  now  is  apprenticeship-service. 
He  is  in  training  for  the  time  when  a  King  shall 
reign,  and  will  need  tested  and  trusted  and  trained 


194         The  Flood-Tide  of  Power. 

servants.  He  is  in  college  getting  ready  for  com- 
mencement day.  That  may  explain  in  part  why 
some  of  the  workers  whom  we  think  can  be  least 
spared,  are  called  away  in  their  prime.  Their  ap- 
prentice term  is  served.  School's  out.  They  are 
moved  up. 

The  Music  of  the  Wind  Harp. 

Please  remember  that  these  are  flood-tide  results. 
Some  good  people  will  never  know  them  except  in 
a  very  limited  way.  For  they  do  not  open  the  sluice- 
gates wide  enough  to  let  the  waters  reach  flood-tide  „ 
These  results  "will  vary  in  degree  with  the  degree  and 
constancy  of  the  yielding  to  the  Spirit1  s  control.  A 
full  yielding  at  the  start,  and  constantly  continued 
will  bring  these  results  in  full  measure  and  without 
break,  though  the  growth  will  be  gradual.  For  it  is 
a  rising  flood,  ever  increasing  in  height  and  depth 
and  sweep  and  power.  Partial  surrender  will  mean 
only  partial  results;  the  largest  and  finest  results 
come  only  as  the  spirit  has  full  control,  for  the  work 
is  all  His,  by  and  with  our  consent. 

In  one  of  her  exquisite  poems  Frances  Ridley 
Havergal  tells  of  a  friend  who  was  given  an  seolian 
harp  which,  she  was  told,  sent  out  unutterably  sweet 
melodies.  She  tried  to  bring  the  music  by  playing 
upon  it  with  her  hand,  but  found  the  seven  strings 
would  yield  but  one  tone.  Keenly  disappointed 
she  turned  to  the  letter  sent  before  the  gift  and 


The  Flood-Tide  of  Power.         195 

found  she  had  not  noticed  the  directions  given. 
Following  them  carefully  she  placed  the  harp  in  the 
opened  window-way  where  the  wind  could  blow 
upon  it.  Quite  a  while  she  waited  but  at  last  in 
the  twilight  the  music  came: 

"Like  stars  that  tremble  into  light 

Out  of  the  purple  dark,  a  low,  sweet  note 
Just  trembled  out  of  silence,  antidote 
To  any  doubt ;  for  never  finger  might 
Produce  that  note,  so  different,  so  new: 
Melodious  pledge  that  all  He  promised  should  come 
true. 


"Anon  a  thrill  of  all  the  strings; 

And  then  a  flash  of  music,  swift  and  bright, 
Like  a  first  throb  of  weird  Auroral  light, 
Then  crimson  coruscations  from  the  wings 
Of  the  Pole-spirit ;  then  ecstatic  beat, 
As  if  an  angel-host  went  forth  on  shining  feet. 

"Soon  passed  the  sounding  starlit  march, 

And  then  one  swelling  note  grew  full  and  long, 
While,  like  a  far-off  cathedral  song, 
Through  dreamy  length  of  echoing  aisle  and  arch 
Float  softest  harmonies  around,  above, 
Like  flowing  chordal  robes  of  blessing  and  of  love. 

"Thus,  while  the  holy  stars  did  shine 

And  listen,  the  aeolian  marvels  breathed ; 
While  love  and  peace  and  gratitude  enwreathed 
With  rich  d«light  in  one  fair  crown  were  mine. 
The  wind  that  bloweth  where  it  listeth  brought 
This  glory  of  harp-music—not  my  skill  or  thought." 


196         The  Flood-Tide  of  Power. 

And  the  listening  friend  to  whom  this  wondrous 
experience  is  told,  who  has  had  a  great  sorrow  in 
her  life,  and  been  much  troubled  in  her  thoughts  and 
plans  replies: 

"  ....  I  too  have  tried 
My  finger  skill  in  vain.     But  opening  now 
My  window,  like  wise  Daniel,  I  will  set 
My  little  harp  therein,  and  listening  wait 
The  breath  of  heaven,  the  Spirit  of  our  God." 

May  we  too  learn  the  lesson  of  the  wind-harp. 
For  man  is  God's  aeolian  harp.  The  human-taught 
finger  skill  can  bring  some  rare  music,  yet  by  com- 
parison it  is  at  best  but  a  monotone.  When  the 
instrument  is  set  to  catch  the  full  breathing  of  the 
breath  of  God,  then  shall  it  sound  out  the  rarest 
wealth  of  music's  melodies.  As  the  life  is  yielded 
fully  to  the  breathing  of  the  Spirit  we  shall  find  the 
peace  of  God  which  passeth  all  understanding  filling 
the  heart;  and  the  power  of  God  that  passeth  all 
resisting  flooding  the  life;  and  others  shall  find  the 
beauty  of  God,  that  passeth  all  describing,  trans- 
figuring the  face;  and  the  dewy  fragrance  of  God, 
that  passeth  all  comparing,  pervading  the  personal- 
ity, though  most  likely  we  shall  not  know  it. 


FRESH   SUPPLIES   OF   POWER. 


FRESH  SUPPLIES  OF  POWER. 

'As  the  Dew  " 


There  is  another  very  important  bit  needed  to 
complete  the  circle  of  truth  we  are  going  over 
together  in  these  quiet  talks.  Namely,  the  daily  life 
after  the  act  of  surrender  and  all  that  comes  with 
that  act.  The  steady  pull  day  by  day.  After  the 
eagle-flight  up  into  highest  air,  and  the  hundred 
yards  dash,  or  even  the  mile  run,  comes  the  steady, 
steady  walking  mile  after  mile.  The  real  test  of  life 
is  here.  And  the  highest  victories  are  here,  too. 

I  recall  the  remark  made  by  a  friend  when  this 
sort  of  thing  was  being  discussed: — "I  would  make 
the  surrender  gladly  but  as  I  think  of  my  home 
life  I  know  I  cannot  keep  it."  There  was  the  rub. 
The  day-by-day  life  afterwards.  The  habitual  steady- 
going  when  temptations  come  in,  and  when  many 
special  aids,  and  stimulating  surroundings  are  with- 
drawn. This  last  talk  together  is  about  this  after- 
life. What  is  the  plan  for  that?  Well,  let  us  talk 
it  over  a  bit. 

Have  you  noticed  that  the  old  earth  receives  a 
fresh  baptism  of  life  daily?  Every  night  the  life- 
giving  dew  is  distilled.  The  moisture  rises  during 
the  day  from  ocean,  and  lake,  and  river,  undergoes  a 
199 


2oo  Fresh  Supplies  of  Power. 

chemical  change  in  God's  laboratory  and  returns 
nightly  in  dew  to  refresh  the  earth.  It  brings  to  all 
nature  new  life,  with  rare  beauty,  and  fills  the  air 
with  the  exquisite  fragrance  drawn  from  flowers  and 
plants.  Its  power  to  purify  .and  revitalize  is  pecu- 
liar and  remarkable.  It  distils  only  in  the  night 
when  the  world  is  at  rest.  It  can  come  only  on 
clear  calm  nights.  Both  cloud  and  wind  disturb  and 
prevent  its  working.  It  comes  quietly  and  works 
noiselessly.  But  the  changes  effected  are  radical  and 
immeasurable.  Literally  it  gives  to  the  earth  a 
nightly  baptism  of  new  life.  That  is  God's  plan  for 
the  earth.  Anc"  that,  too,  let  me  say  to  you,  is  His 
plan  for  our  day-by-day  life. 

It  hushes  one's  heart  with  a  gentle  awe  to  go  out 
early  in  the  morning  after  a  clear  night  when  air 
and  flower  and  leaf  are  fragrant  with  an  indescribable 
freshness,  and  listen  to  God's  voice  saying,  "7  will 
be  as  the  dew  unto  Israel."  That  sentence  is  the 
climax  of  the  book  where  it  occurs.1  God  is  trying 
through  Hosea  to  woo  His  people  away  from  their 
evil  leaders  up  to  Himself  again.  To  a  people  who 
knew  well  the  vitalizing  power  of  the  deep  dews  of 
an  Oriental  night,  and  their  own  dependence  upon 
them,  He  says  with  pleading  voice,  "I  will  be  to 
you  as  the  dew." 

The  setting  of  that  sentence  is  made  very  win- 
some. The  beauty  of  the  lily,  and  of  the  olive-tree; 
the  strength  of  the  roots  of  Lebanon's  giant  cedars, 

1  Hosea  xiv :  5. 


Fresh  Supplies  of  Power.  201 

and  the  fragrance  of  their  boughs;  the  fruitfulness 
of  the  vine,  and  the  richness  of  the  grain  harvest  are 
used  to  bring  graphically  to  their  minds  the  meaning 
of  His  words:  "as  the  dew." 

Tenderly  as  He  speaks  to  that  nation  in  which 
His  love-plan  for  a  world  centered,  more  tenderly 
yet  does  He  ever  speak  to  the  individual  heart. 
That  wondrous  One  who  is  "alongside  to  help" 
will  be  by  the  atmosphere  of  His  presence  to  you 
and  to  me  as  the  dew  is  to  the  earth — a  daily  re- 
freshing of  new  life,  with  its  new  strength,  and  rare 
beauty  and  fine  fragrance. 

Have  you  noticed  how  Jesus  Himself  puts  His 
ideal  for  the  day-by-day  life?  At  that  last  Feast  of 
Tabernacles  He  said,  "He  that  believeth  on  me  out 
of  his  inner  being  shall  flow  rivers  of  water  of  life."  * 
Jesus  was  fairly  saturated  with  the  Old  Testament 
figures  and  language.  Here  He  seems  to  be  think- 
ing, of  that  remarkable  river-vision  of  Ezekiel's.2 
You  remember  how  much  space  is  given  there  to 
describing  a  wonderful  river  running  through  a  place 
where  living  waters  had  never  flowed.  The  stream 
begins  with  a  few  strings  of  water  trickling  out  from 
under  the  door-step  of  the  temple,  and  rises  gradu- 
ally but  steadily  ankle-deep,  knee-deep,  loin-deep, 
over-head,  until  flood-tide  is  reached,  and  an  ever 
rising  and  deepening  flood-tide.  And  everywhere 
the  waters  go  is  life  with  beauty,  and  fruitfulness. 

1  John  vii:  37-39. 
*  Ezekiel  xlvii:  i-ia. 


2O2  Fresh  Supplies  of  Power. 

There  is  no  drought,  no  ebbing,  but  a  continual 
flowing  in,  and  filling  up,  and  flooding  out.  In 
these  two  intensely  vivid  figures  is  given  our  Mas- 
ter's carefully,  lovingly  thought  out  plan  for  the 
day-by-day  life. 

In  actual  experience  the  reverse  of  this  is,  shall  I 
say  too  much  if  I  say,  most  commonly  the  case?  It 
seems  to  be  so.  Who  of  us  has  not  at  times  been 
conscious  of  some  failure  that  cut  keenly  into  the 
very  tissue  of  the  heart!  And  even  when  no  such 
break  may  have  come  there  is  ever  a  heart-yearning 
for  more  than  has  yet  been  experienced.  The  men 
who  seem  to  know  most  of  God's  power  have  had 
great,  unspeakable  longings  at  times  for  a  fresh 
consciousness  of  that  power. 

There  is  a  simple  but  striking  incident  told  of  one 
of  Mr.  Moody's  British  campaigns.  He  was  resting 
a  few  days  after  a  tour  in  which  God's  power  was 
plainly  felt  and  seen.  He  was  soon  to  be  out  at 
work  again.  Talking  out  of  his  inner  heart  to  a  few 
sympathetic  friends,  he  earnestly  asked  them  to  join 
in  prayer  that  he  might  receive  "a  fresh  baptism  of 
power."  Without  doubt  that  very  consciousness  of 
failure,  and  this  longing  for  more  is  evidence  of  the 
Spirit's  presence  within  wooing  us  up  the  heights. 

The  language  that  springs  so  readily  to  one's  lips 
at  such  times  is  just  such  as  Mr.  Moody  used,  a 
fresh  baptism,  a  fresh  filling,  a  fresh  anointing. 
And  the  fresh  consciousness  of  God's  presence  and 
power  is  to  one  as  a  fresh  act  of  anointing  on  His 


Fresh  Supplies  of  Power.  203 

part.  Practically  it  does  not  matter  whether  there 
is  actually  a  fresh  act  upon  the  Spirit's  part,  or  a 
renewed  consciousness  upon  our  part  of  His  pres- 
ence, and  a  renewed  humble  depending  wholly 
upon  Him.  Yet  to  learn  the  real  truth  puts  one's 
relationship  to  God  in  the  clearer  light  that  prevents 
periods  of  doubt  and  darkness.  Does  it  not  too 
bring  one  yet  nearer  to  Him?  In  this  case  it  cer- 
tainly suggests  a  depth  and  a  tenderness  of  His 
unparalleled  love  of  which  some  of  us  have  not  even 
dreamed.  So  far  as  the  Scriptures  seem  to  suggest 
there  is  not  a  fresh  act  upon  God's  part  at  certain 
times  in  one's  experience,  but  His  wondrous  love  is 
such  that  there  is  a  continuous  act — a  continuous 
flooding  in  of  all  the  gracious  power  of  His  Spirit 
that  the  human  conditions  will  admit  of.  The  flood- 
tide  is  ever  being  poured  out  from  above,  but,  as  a 
rule,  our  gates  are  not  open  full  width.  And  so  only 
part  can  get  in,  and  part  wliich  He  is  giving  is 
restrained  by  us. 

Without  doubt,  too,  the  incoming  flood  expands 
that  into  which  it  comes.  And  so  the  capacity  in- 
creases ever  more,  and  yet  more.  And,  too,  we 
may  become  much  more  sensitive  to  the  Spirit's 
presence.  We  may  grow  into  better  mediums  for 
the  transmission  of  His  power.  As  the  hindrances 
and  limitations  of  centuries  of  sin's  warping  and 
stupefying  are  gradually  lessened  there  is  a  freer 
better  channel  for  the  through-flowing  of  His  power. 


2O4  Fresh  Supplies  of  Power. 

A    Transition  Stage. 

Such  seems  to  be  the  teaching  of  the  old  Book. 
Let  us  look  into  it  a  little  more  particularly.  One 
needs  to  be  discriminating  in  quoting  the  Book  of 
Acts  on  this  subject.  That  book  marks  a  transition 
stage  historically  in  the  experience  possible  to  men. 
Some  of  the  older  persons  in  the  Acts  lived  in  three 
distinct  periods.  There  was  the  Old  Testament 
period  when  a  salvation  was  foretold  and  promised. 
Then  came  the  period  when  Jesus  was  on  the  earth 
and  did  a  wholly  new  thing  in  the  world's  history  in 
actually  working  out  a  salvation.  And  then  fol- 
lowed the  period  of  the  Holy  Spirit  applying  to 
men  the  salvation  worked  out  by  Jesus.  All  these 
persons  named  in  the  Book  of  Acts  lived  both  before 
and  after  the  day  of  Pentecost,  which  marked  the 
descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  Book  of  Acts 
marks  the  clear  establishing  of  the  transition  from 
the  second  to  the  third  of  these  three  periods.  Ever 
since  then  men  have  lived  after  Pentecost.  The 
transitional  period  of  the  Book  of  Acts  is  behind  us. 

Men  in  Old  Testament  times  both  in  the  Hebrew 
nation  and  outside  of  it  were  born  of  the  Spirit, 
and  under  His  sway.  But  there  was  a  limit  to  what 
He  could  do,  because  there  was  a  limit  to  what  had 
been  done.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  executive  mem- 
ber of  the  Godhead.  He  applies  to  men  what  has 
been  worked  out,  or  achieved  for  them,  and  only 
that.  Jesus  came  and  did  a  new  thing  which  stands 


Fresh  Supplies  of  Power.  205 

wholly  alone  in  history.  He  lived  a  sinless  life,  and 
then  He  died  sacrificially  for  men,  and  then  further, 
arose  up  to  a  new  life  after  death.  The  next  step 
necessary  was  the  sending  down  of  the  divine  ex- 
ecutive to  work  out  in  men  this  new  achievement. 
He  does  in  men  what  Jesus  did  for  them.  He  can 
do  much  more  for  us  than  for  the  Old  Testament 
people  because  much  more  has  been  done  for  us  by 
God  through  Jesus.  The  standing  of  a  saved  man 
before  Pentecost  was  like  that  of  a  young  child  in  a 
rich  family  who  cannot  under  the  provisions  of  the 
family  will  come  into  his  inheritance  until  the 
majority  age  is  reached.  After  the  Son  of  God 
came,  men  are  through  Him  reckoned  as  being  as 
He  is,  namely  in  full  possession  of  all  rights  con- 
ferred by  being  a  born  son  of  full  age.  Now  note 
carefully  that  this  Book  of  Acts  marks  the  transition 
from  the  one  period  to  the  other.  And  so  one  needs 
to  be  discriminating  in  applying  the  experiences  of 
men  passing  through  a  transition  period  to  those 
who  live  wholly  afterwards. 

The  After-  Teaching. 

The  after-Pentecost  teaching,  that  is  the  personal 
relation  to  the  Spirit  by  one  who  has  received  Him 
to-day,  may  best  be  learned  from  the  epistles. 
Paul's  letters  form  the  bulk  of  the  New  Testament 
after  the  Book  of  Acts  is  passed.  They  contain  the 
Spirit's  after-teaching  regarding  much  which  the 


206  Fresh  Supplies  of  Power. 

disciples  were  not  yet  able  to  receive  from  Jesus' 
own  lips.  They  were  written  to  churches  that  were 
far  from  ideal.  They  were  composed  largely  of  peo- 
ple dug  out  of  the  darkest  heathenism.  And  with  the 
infinite  patience  and  tact  of  the  Spirit  Paul  writes 
to  them  with  a  pen  dipped  in  his  own  heart. 

A  rather  careful  run  through  these  thirteen  letters 
brings  to  view  two  things  about  the  relation  of  these 
people  to  the  Holy  Spirit.  First  there  are  certain 
allusions  or  references  to  the  Spirit,  and  then  certain 
exhortations.  Note  first  these  allusions.1  They  are 
numerous.  In  them  it  is  constantly  assumed  that 
these  people  have  received  the  Holy  Spirit.  Paul's 
dealing  with  the  twelve  disciples  whom  he  found  at 
Ephesus 2  suggests  his  habit  in  dealing  with  all  whom 
he  taught.  Reading  that  incident  in  connection 
with  these  letters  seems  to  suggest  that  in  every 
place  he  laid  great  stress  upon  the  necessity  of  the 
Spirit's  control  in  every  life.  And  now  in  writing 
back  to  these  friends  nearly  all  the  allusions  to  the 
Spirit  are  in  language  that  assumes  that  they  have 
surrendered  fully  and  been  filled  with  His  presence. 

There  are  just  four  exhortations  about  the  Holy 
Spirit.  It  is  significant  to  notice  what  these  are  not. 
They  are  not  exhorted  to  seek  the  baptism  of  the 

1  i  Thessalpnians  iv:  8. 

1  Corinthians  xii:  I-H. 

2  Corinthians  xn  4. 

Galatians  iii:  2-5;  iv:  6;  v:  5,  18,  18,  22-25. 
Romans  viii:  1-27;  xv:  13. 
Colossians  i:  8. 
Philippians  iii:  3. 
Titus  iii:  5-6. 
•Acts  xix:  1-7. 


Fresh  Supplies  of  Power.          207 

Holy  Spirit  nor  to  wait  for  the  filling.  There  is  no 
word  about  refillings,  fresh  baptisms  or  anointings. 
For  these  people,  unlike  most  of  us  to-day,  have  been 
thoroughly  instructed  regarding  the  Spirit  and  pre- 
sumably have  had  the  great  radical  experience  of 
His  full  incoming.  On  the  other  hand  notice  what 
these  exhortations  are.  To  the  Thessalonians  in  his 
first  letter  he  says,  "Quench  not  the  Spirit."1  To 
the  disciples  scattered  throughout  the  province  of 
Galatia  who  had  been  much  disturbed  by  false 
leaders  he  gives  a  rule  to  be  followed,  "Walk  by  the 
Spirit."  2  The  other  two  of  these  incisive  words  of 
advice  are  found  in  the  Ephesian  letter — "Grieve  not 
the  Spirit  of  God,"3  and  "be  ye  filled  with  the 
Spirit."4 

These  exhortations  like  the  allusions  assume  that 
they  have  received  the  Spirit,  and  know  that  they 
have.  The  last  quoted,  "be  ye  filled,"  may  seem  at 
first  flush  to  be  an  exception  to  this,  but  I  think  we 
shall  see  in  a  moment  that  a  clearer  rendering  takes 
away  this  seeming,  and  shows  it  as  agreeing  with  the 
others  in  the  general  teaching. 

This  letter  to  the  Ephesians  may  perhaps  be  taken 
as  a  fair  index  of  the  New  Testament  teaching  on 
this  matter  after  the  descent  of  the  Spirit;  the  after- 
teaching  promised  by  Jesus.  It  bears  evidence  of 
being  a  sort  of  circular  letter  intended  to  be  sent  in 

1  i  Thessalonians  v:  19. 

*  Galatians  v:  16. 

•  Ephesians  iv:  30. 
*Eph.  v:i8. 


208  Fresh  Supplies  of  Power. 

turn  to  a  number  of  the  churches,  and  is  therefore 
a  still  better  illustration  of  the  after-teaching.  The 
latter  half  of  the  letter  is  dealing  wholly  with  this 
question  of  the  day-by-day  life  after  the  distinct  act 
of  surrender  and  infilling.  Here  are  found  two 
companion  exhortations.  One  is  negative :  the  other 
positive.  The  two  together  suggest  the  rounded 
truth  which  we  are  now  seeking.  On  one  side  is 
this: — "Grieve  not  the  Spirit  of  God,"  and  on  the 
other  side  is  this: — "be  ye  filled  with  the  Spirit." 
Bishop  H.  C.  G.  Moule  calls  attention  to  the  more 
nearly  accurate  reading  of  this  last, — "be  ye  filling 
with  the  Spirit."  That  suggests  two  things,  a 
habitual  inflow,  and,  that  it  depends  on  us  to  keep  the 
inlets  ever  open.  Now  around  about  these  two 
companion  exhortations  are  gathered  two  groups  of 
friendly  counsels.  One  group  is  about  the  grieving 
things  which  must  be  avoided.  The  other  group  is 
about  the  positive  things  to  be  cultivated.  And  the 
inference  of  the  whole  passage  is  that  this  avoiding 
and  this  cultivating  result  in  the  habitual  filling  of 
the  Spirit's  presence. 

Cross-  Currents. 

Fresh  supplies  of  power  then  seem  to  be  depend- 
ent upon  two  things.  The  first  is  this : — Keeping  the 
life  clear  of  hindrances.  This  is  the  negative  side, 
though  it  takes  very  positive  work.  It  is  really  the 
abnormal  side  of  the  true  life.  Sin  is  abnormal, 


Fresh  Supplies  of  Power.  209 

unnatural.  It  is  a  foreign  element  that  has  come 
into  the  world  and  into  life  disturbing  the  natural 
order.  It  must  be  kept  out.  The  whole  concern 
here  is  keeping  certain  things  out  of  the  life.  The 
task  is  that  of  staying  in  the  world  but  keeping  the 
world-spirit  out  of  us.  We  are  to  remain  in  the 
world  for  its  sake,  but  to  allow  nothing  in  it  to  dis- 
turb our  full  touch  with  the  other  world  where  our 
citizenship  is.  The  Christian's  position  in  this  world 
is  strikingly  like  that  of  a  nation's  ambassador  at  a 
foreign  court.  Joseph  H.  Choate  mingles  freely 
with  the  subjects  of  King  Kdward,  attends  many 
functions,  makes  speeches,  grants  occasional  inter- 
views, but  he  is  ever  on  the  alert  with  his  rarely 
keen  mind,  and  long  years  of  legal  training  not  to 
utter  a  syllable  which  might  not  properly  come  from 
the  head  of  his  home  government.  Never  for  one 
moment  is  he  off  his  guard.  His  whole  aim  is  to  keep 
in  perfect  sympathy  with  his  home  country  as  repre- 
sented by  its  head.  He  never  forgets  that  he  is  there 
as  a  stranger,  sojourning  for  a  while,  belonging  to 
and  representing  a  foreign  country.  So,  and  only 
so,  all  the  authority  and  power  of  his  own  govern- 
ment flows  through  his  person  and  is  in  every  word 
and  act.  Such  a  man  invariably  provides  himself 
with  a  home  in  which  is  breathed  the  atmosphere  of 
his  far  away  homeland.  Now  we  are  strangers, 
sojourners,  indeed  more,  ambassadors,  representa- 
tives of  a  government  foreign  to  the  present  prince 
of  this  world.  It  is  only  as  we  keep  in  perfect  sym- 


2io  Fresh  Supplies  of  Power. 

pathy  with  the  homeland  and  its  Head  that  there 
can  flow  into  and  through  us  all  the  immeasurable 
power  of  our  King.  Whatever  interrupts  that  inter- 
course with  headquarters  interrupts  the  flow  of 
power  in  our  lives  and  service.  We  must  guard  most 
jealously  against  such  things. 

Electricity  helps  a  man  here,  in  the  similes  it  sug- 
gests. For  instance  the  electric  current  passing 
into  a  building  is  sometimes  mysteriously  turned 
aside  and  work  seriously  interrupted.  A  cross-wire 
dropping  down  out  of  place,  and  leaning  upon  the 
feed-wire  has  drawn  the  power  into  itself  and  off 
somewhere  else.  The  cross  is  apt  to  be  in  some 
unknown  place,  and  much  searching  is  frequently 
necessary  before  it  can  be  found  and  fixed.  And  all 
the  work  affected  by  that  feed- wire  waits  till  the  fix- 
ing is  done. 

The  spirit  atmosphere  in  which  we  live  is  full, 
chock-full,  of  cross-currents.  And  a  man  has  to  be 
keenly  alert  to  keep  his  feed-wire  clear.  If  it  be 
crossed,  or  grounded,  away  goes  the  power,  while 
he  may  be  wondering  why. 

What  are  some  of  the  cross-currents  that  threaten 
to  draw  the  power  of  the  feed- wire?  Well,  just  like 
the  electric  currents  some  of  them  seem  very  trivial. 
Here  are  a  few  of  the  commoner  ones: — 

Failure  to  keep  bodily  appetites  under  control. 
Intimate  fellowship  with  those  who  are  enemies  of 
our  Lord,  it  may  be  in  some  organization,  or  other- 
wise. The  absence  of  a  spirit  of  loving  sympathy. 


Fresh  Supplies  of  Power.  211 

The  dominance  in  one's  life  of  a  critical  spirit  which 
saps  the  warmth  out  of  everything  it  touches.  Jeal- 
ousy, and  the  whole  brood  which  that  single  word 
suggests.  Keeping  money  which  God  would  have 
out  in  service  for  himself.  Self-seeking.  Self-as- 
sertion. A  frivolous  spirit,  instead  of  a  joyous  win- 
someness,  or  a  sweet  seriousness.  Overworking 
one's  bodily  strength,  which  grows  out  of  a  wrong 
ambition,  and  is  trusting  one's  own  efforts  more 
than  God's  power,  and  which  always  involves  dis- 
obedience of  His  law  for  the  body.  Over-anxiety 
which  robs  the  mind  of  its  freshness,  and  the  spirit 
of  its  sweetness,  and  whose  roots  are  the  same  as 
overwork. 

The  hot  hasty  word.  The  uncontrolled  temper. 
The  pride  that  will  not  confess  to  having  been  in  the 
wrong.  Lack  of  rugged  honesty  in  speech.  Careless- 
ness in  money  matters.  Lack  of  reverence  for  the 
body.  The  unholy  use  between  two,  whose  relation 
is  the  most  sacred  of  earth,  of  that  hallowed  func- 
tion of  nature  which  has  rigidly  but  one  normal  use. 

Some  personal  habit  which  may  be  common 
enough,  and  for  which  plausible  arguments  can  be 
made,  but  which  does  take  the  fine  edge  off  of  the 
inner  consciousness  of  the  Master's  approval.  Keen 
shrewd  scheming  for  position  by  those  in  holy 
service. 

Paul's  Galatian  letter  supplies  these  items: — 
wrangling;  wordy  disputes;  passionate  outbursts  of 
anger;  wire-pulling  or  electioneering,  that  is,  using 


212  Fresh  Supplies  of  Power. 

the  world's  methods  to  attain  one's  ends  by  those  in 
God's  service. 

These  are  some  of  the  cross-currents  that  are 
surely  drawing  the  power  out  of  many  a  life  to-day. 
But  how  may  one  know  surely  about  the  wrong 
thing?  Well,  that  One  who  resides  within  the 
heart  is  very  sensitive  and  is  very  faithful.  If  I 
will  jealously  keep  on  good  terms,  aye  on  the  best 
terms,  with  Him,  ever  listening,  ever  obeying,  I  will 
come  to  know  at  first  touch  the  thing  that  disturbs 
His  sensitive  spirit.  And  to  keep  that  thing  out, 
uncompromisingly,  unflinchingly  out,  is  the  only 
safeguard  here. 

But  there  will  be  continual  testings  and  tempt- 
ings.  Testings  by  God.  Temptings  by  Satan. 
There  will  be  testings  by  God  that  the  realness  of 
the  surrender  may  be  made  clear,  and,  too,  that  in 
these  repeated  siftings  the  dross  may  all  go,  and  only 
the  pure  gold  remain.  The  will  must  be  exercised  in 
rejecting  and  accepting  that  its  fiber  may  be  tough- 
ened. No  man  knows  how  deep  is  his  conviction 
until  the  test  comes.  God  will  test  for  love's  sake 
to  strengthen.  Satan  will  tempt  for  hate's  sake  to 
trip  up  and  weaken.  God's  testings  will  give 
strength  for  Satan's  temptings.  And  out  of  this 
double  furnace  the  gold  comes  doubly  purified. 

Some  circumstance  arises  involving  a  decision. 
There  is  a  clear  conviction  of  what  the  inner  One 
prefers  but  it  runs  against  our  plans  in  which 
friends  or  loved  ones  are  concerned  who  may  not 


Fresh  Supplies  of  Power.          213 

see  eye-to-eye  with  us.  To  follow  the  conviction 
means  misunderstanding  and  some  sacrifice.  And  so 
the  test  is  on.  To  be  tactful,  and  gentle  in  follow- 
ing rigidly  the  clear  conviction  will  take  grace,  and, 
will  bring  a  refining  of  life's  strength  and  fabric. 

To  run  through  this  old  Book  and  call  the  names 
is  to  bring  to  mind  the  men  who  have  gone  through 
just  such  testings  and  temptings;  some  with  splen- 
did victory,  and  some  with  shameful  defeat. 

So  it  comes  to  pass  that  surrender  is  not  simply 
the  initial  act  into  this  life  of  power.  It  must  be- 
come the  continuous  habit.  There  must  be  a  habitual 
living  up  to  the  act.  Surrender  comes  to  be  an  atti- 
tude of  the  will  affecting  every  act  and  event  of  life. 
And  by  and  by  the  instinctive  measuring  of  every- 
thing by  its  relation  to  Jesus  comes  to  be  the  in- 
voluntary habit  of  the  life. 

Friends  with  God. 

The  second  thing  upon  which  fresh  supplies  of 
power  hinge  is  the  cultivation  of  personal  friendship 
with  God.  This  is  the  positive  side  of  the  new  life. 
This  is  the  true  natural  life.  It  is  the  living  con- 
stantly in  the  atmosphere  of  the  Spirit's  presence. 

The  highest  and  closest  relation  possible  between 
any  two  is  friendship.  The  basis  of  friendship  is 
sympathy,  that  is,  fellow-feeling.  The  atmosphere 
of  friendship  is  mutual  unquestioning  trust.  In  the 
original  meaning  of  the  word,  a  friend  is  a  lover. 


214  Fresh  Supplies  of  Power. 

A  friend  is  one  who  loves  you  for  your  sake  alone, 
and  steadfastly  loves,  regardless  of  any  return,  even 
return-love.  Friendship  hungers  for  a  closer  knowl- 
edge, and  for  a  deeper  intimacy.  Friendship  grows 
with  exchange  of  confidences.  Friends  are  confi- 
dants. 

"As  in  a  double  solitude,  ye  think  in  each  other's  hearing." 

A  man's  friendships  shape  his  life  more  than  aught 
else,  or  all  else. 

Now  this  is  the  tender  relation  which  God  Him- 
self desires  with  each  of  us.  Did  Jesus  ever  speak 
more  tenderly  than  on  that  last  Thursday  night 
when  He  said  to  those  constant  companions  of  two 
years,  "I  have  called  you  friends,  for  all  things  that 
I  heard  from  My  Father  I  have  made  known  unto 
you"?  Out  of  his  own  experience  David  writes, 
"The  friendship  of  the  Lord  is  with  those  that  rever- 
ently love  Him,  and  He  will  give  evidence  of  His 
friendship  by  showing  to  them  His  covenant,  His 
plans,  and  His  power."  And  David  knew.  Abra- 
ham had  the  reputation  of  being  a  friend  of  God. 
He  even  trusted  his  darling  boy's  life  to  God  when  he 
could  not  understand  what  God  was  doing.  And  he 
found  God  worthy  of  his  friendship.  He  spared  that 
darling  boy  even  though  later  He  spared  not  His 
own  darling  boy.  It  thrills  one's  heart  to  hear  God 
saying,  "Abraham  my  friend."  Friendship  with 
God  means  such  oneness  of  spirit  with  Him  that 
He  may  do  with  us  and  through  us  what  He  wills. 


Fresh  Supplies  of  Power.          215 

This  and  this  alone  is  the  true  power — God  in  us, 
and  God  with  us  free  to  do  as  He  wills. 

Now  trust  is  the  native  air  of  friendship.  A 
breath  of  doubt  chills  and  chokes.  If  one  is  filled 
and  surrounded  by  trust  in  God  as  the  atmosphere 
of  his  life  his  touch  with  God  then  becomes  most 
intimate.  Satan  cannot  breathe  in  that  atmosphere. 
It  chokes  him.  Air  is  the  native  element  of  the  bird. 
Away  from  air  it  gasps  and  dies.  Water  is  the 
native  element  of  the  fish.  Out  of  water  it  chokes 
and  gasps  and  dies.  Trust  is  the  native  element  of 
friendship — friendship  with  God.  A  constant  feel- 
ing of  confidence  in  GOD  that  believes  in  His  over- 
ruling power,  and  in  His  unfailing  love,  and  rests  in 
Him  in  the  darkness  when  the  thing  you  prize  most 
is  lying  bound  on  the  stony  altar. 

The  Spirit  of  God  is  a  friend,  a  lover.  He  is  ever 
wooing  us  up  the  heights.  Let  us  climb  up.  He  is 
every  wooing  us  into  the  inner  recesses  of  friendship 
with  Himself.  Shall  we  not  go  along  with  Him? 
This  is  the  secret  of  a  life  ever  fresh  with  the  pres- 
ence of  God.  It  is  the  only  pathway  of  increasing 
youthfulness  in  the  power  of  God. 

"And  in  old  age,  when  others  fade, 
They  fruit  still  forth  shall  bring; 
They  shall  be  fat,  and  full  of  sap, 
And  aye  be  flourishing." 


2 1 6          Fresh  Supplies  of  Power. 

A  Bunch  of  Keys. 

To  those  who  would  enter  these  inner  sacred 
recesses  here  is  a  small  bunch  of  keys  which  will 
unlock  the  doors.  Three  keys  in  this  bunch;  a 
key-time,  a  key-book,  and  a  key- word.  The  key- 
time  is  time  alone  with  God  daily.  With  the  door 
shut.  Outside  things  shut  outside,  and  one's  self 
shut  in  alone  with  God.  This  is  the  try  sting-hour 
with  our  Friend.  Here  He  will  reveal  Himself  to  us, 
and  reveal  our  real  selves  to  ourselves.  This  is 
going  to  school  to  God.  It  is  giving  Him  a  chance 
to  instruct  and  correct,  to  strengthen  and  mellow 
and  sweeten  us.  One  must  get  alone  to  find  out  that 
he  never  is  alone.  The  more  alone  we  are  so  far  as 
men  are  concerned  the  least  alone  we  are  so  far  as 
God  is  concerned.  It  must  be  unhurried  time.  Time 
enough  to  forget  about  time.  When  the  mind  is  fresh 
and  open.  One  must  use  this  key  if  he  is  to  know 
the  sweets  of  friendship  with  God. 

The  key-book  is  this  marvelous  old  classic  of  God's 
Word.  Take  this  book  with  you  when  you  go  to 
keep  tryst  with  your  Friend.  God  speaks  in  His 
Word.  He  will  take  these  words  and  speak  them 
with  His  own  voice  into  the  ear  of  your  heart.  You 
will  be  surprised  to  find  how  light  on  every  sort  of 
question  will  come.  It  is  remarkable  what  a  faithful 
half-hour  daily  with  a  good  paragraph1  Bible  in 
wide,  swift,  continuous  reading  will  do  in  giving  one 

1  One  beauty  of  the  revised  version  is  its  paragraphing. 


Fresh  Supplies  of  Power.          217 

a  swing  and  a  grasp  of  this  old  Book.  In  time,  and 
not  long  time  either,  one  will  come  to  be  saturated 
with  its  thought  and  spirit.  Reading  the  Bible  is 
listening  to  God.  It  is  fairly  pathetic  what  a  hard 
time  God  has  to  get  men's  ears.  He  is  ever  speak- 
ing but  we  will  not  be  quiet  enough  to  hear.  One 
always  enjoys  listening  to  his  friend.  What  this 
Friend  says  to  us  will  change  radically  our  concep- 
tions of  Himself,  and  of  life.  It  will  clear  the  vision, 
and  discipline  the  judgment,  and  stiffen  the  will. 

The  key-word  is  obedience:  a  glad  prompt  doing 
of  what  our  Friend  desires  because  He  desires  it. 
Obedience  is  saying  "yes"  to  God.  It  is  the  harmony 
of  the  life  with  the  will  of  God.  With  some  it 
seems  to  mean  a  servile  bondage  to  details.  It 
should  rather  mean  a  spirit  of  intelligent  loyalty  to 
God.  It  aims  to  learn  His  will,  and  then  to  do  it. 
God's  will  is  revealed  in  His  word.  His  particular 
will  for  my  life  He  will  reveal  to  me  if  I  will  listen, 
and,  if  I  will  obey,  so  far  as  I  know  to  obey.  If  I 
obey  what  I  know,  I  will  know  more.  Obedience  is 
the  organ  of  knowledge  in  the  soul.  "He  that  will- 
eth  to  do  His  will  shall  know." 

God's  will  includes  His  plan  for  a  world,  and  for 
each  life  in  the  world.  Both  concern  us.  He  would 
first  work  in  us,  that  He  may  work  through  us  in 
His  passionate  outreach  for  a  world.  His  will  in- 
cludes every  bit  of  one's  life;  and  therefore  obedience 
must  also  include  every  bit.  A  run  out  in  a  single 
direction  may  serve  as  a  suggestion  of  many  others. 


2 1 8  Fresh  Supplies  of  Power. 

The  law  of  my  body,  which  obeyed  brings  or  con- 
tinues health  is  God's  will,  as  much  as  that  which 
concerns  moral  action.  Our  bodies  are  holy  because 
God  lives  in  them.  Overwork,  insufficient  sleep, 
that  imprudent  diet  and  eating  which  seems  the  rule 
rather  than  the  exception,  carelessness  of  bodily 
protection  in  rain  or  storm  or  drafts  or  otherwise : — 
these  are  sins  against  God's  will  for  the  body,  and 
no  one  who  is  disobedient  here  can  ever  be  a  chan- 
nel of  power  up  to  the  measure  of  God's  longing 
for  us. 

And  so  regarding  all  of  one's  life,  one  must  ever 
keep  an  open  mind  Godward  so  as  to  get  a  well 
balanced  sense  of  what  His  will  is.  Practice  is  the 
great  thing  here.  This  is  school  work.  By  per- 
sistent listening  and  practising  there  comes  a  mature 
judgment  which  avoids  extremes  in  both  directions. 
But  the  rule  is  this:  cheery  prompt  obeying  regard- 
less of  consequences.  Disobedience,  failure  to  obey, 
is  breaking  with  our  Friend. 

These  are  the  three  keys  which  will  let  us  into  the 
innermost  chambers  of  friendship  with  God.  And 
with  them  goes  a  key-ring  on  which  these  keys  must 
be  strung.  It  is  this: — implicit  trust  in  God.  Trust 
is  the  native  air  of  friendship.  In  its  native  air  it 
grows  strong  and  beautiful.  Whatever  disturbs  an 
active  abiding  trust  in  God  must  be  driven  out  of 
doors,  and  kept  out.  Doubt  chills  the  air  below 
normal.  Anxiety  overheats  the  air.  A  calm  looking 
up  into  God's  face  with  an  unquestioning  faith  in 


Fresh  Supplies  of  Power.  219 

Him  under  every  sort  of  circumstance — this  is  trust. 
Faith  has  three  elements:  knowledge,  belief  and 
trust.  Knowledge  is  acquaintance  with  certain  facts. 
Belief  is  accepting  these  facts  as  true.  Trust  is 
risking  something  that  is  very  precious.  Trust  is  the 
life-blood  of  faith.  This  is  the  atmosphere  of  the 
true  natural  life  as  planned  by  God. 

"If  a  wren  can  cling 
To  a  spray  a-swing 

In  a  mad  May  wind,  and  sing,  and  sing, 
As  if  she'd  burst  for  joy; 
Why  cannot  I, 
Contented  lie, 

In  His  quiet  arms,  beneath  His  sky, 
Unmoved  by  earth's  annoy?" 

Shall  we  take  these  keys,  and  this  key-ring  and 
use  them  faithfully?  It  will  mean  intimate  friend- 
ship with  God.  And  that  is  the  one  secret  of  power, 
fresh,  and  ever  freshening. 

There  is  a  simple  story  told  of  an  old  German 
friend  of  God, which  illustrates  all  of  this  with  a 
charmi  ng  picturesqueness .  Professor  Johan  Albrecht 
Bengal  was  a  teacher  in  the  seminary  in  Denkendorf, 
Germany,  in  the  eighteenth  century.  "He  united 
profound  reverence  for  the  Bible  with  an  acuteness 
which  let  nothing  escape  him."  The  seminary 
students  used  to  wonder  at  the  great  intellectuality, 
and  great  humility  and  Christliness  which  blended 
their  beauty  in  him.  One  night,  one  of  them,  eager 
to  learn  the  secret  of  his  holy  life,  slipped  up  into 


220  Fresh  Supplies  of  Power. 

his  apartments  while  the  professor  was  out  lecturing 
in  the  city,  and  hid  himself  behind  the  heavy  cur- 
tains in  the  deep  recess  of  the  old-fashioned  window. 
Quite  a  while  he  waited  until  he  grew  weary  and 
thought  of  how  weary  his  teacher  must  be  with  his 
long  day's  work  in  the  class-room  and  the  city.  At 
length  he  heard  the  step  in  the  hall,  and  waited 
breathlessly  to  learn  the  coveted  secret.  The  man 
came  in,  changed  his  shoes  for  slippers,  and  sitting 
down  at  the  study  table,  opened  the  old  well-thumbed 
German  Bible  and  began  reading  leisurely  page  by 
page.  A  half-hour  he  read,  three-quarters  of  an 
hour,  an  hour,  and  more  yet.  Then  leaning  his 
head  down  on  his  hands  for  a  few  minutes  in  silence 
he  said  in  the  simplest  most  familiar  way,  "Well, 
Lord  Jesus,  we're  on  the  same  old  terms.  Good- 
night." 

If  we  might  live  like  that.  Begin  the  day  with  a 
bit  of  time  alone,  a  good-morning  talk  with  Him. 
And  as  the  day  goes  on  in  its  busy  round  sometimes 
to  put  out  your  hand  to  Him,  and  under  your  breath 
say,  "let's  keep  on  good  terms,  Lord  Jesus."  And 
then  when  eventide  comes  in  to  go  off  alone  with 
Him  for  a  quiet  look  into  His  face,  and  a  good-night 
talk,  and  to  be  able  to  say,  with  reverent  familiarity : 
"Good-night,  Lord  Jesus,  we  are  on  the  same  old 
terms,  you  and  I,  good-night."  Ah!  such  a  life 
will  be  fairly  fragrant  with  the  very  presence  of  God. 


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